According to ISW, russian forces are escalating their utilization of chemical weapons in Ukraine, violating the Chemical Weapons Convention to which russia is a signatory. Captain Andrii Rudyk, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Center for the Research of Trophy and Prospective Weapons and Military Equipment, disclosed on January 25 that russian forces started the use of RG-VO grenades containing chloroacetophenone, a form of tear gas employed for riot control, in December 2023.
Ukrainian authorities reportedly documented 81 instances of russian forces deploying these grenades during the same month. Furthermore, the General Staff reported on January 13 that russian forces introduced a new type of special gas grenade containing CS gas (2-Chlorobenzalmalononitrile), also classified as a Riot Control Agent (RCA), starting on December 14. It is stated that russian forces have employed chemical weapons at least 51 times in the first two weeks of 2024.
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Acknowledging the deliberate use of chemical weapons, the russian 810th Naval Infantry Brigade admitted on December 22 that it employs K-51 grenades with CS gas, dropped from drones onto Ukrainian positions near Krynky in the east bank of Kherson region. Captain Andrii Rudyk asserted that RG-VO grenades have the potential to cause fatalities within five minutes in enclosed spaces such as dugouts or rooms.
Notably, a study reportedly identified a recently used russian RG-VO grenade as manufactured in an unspecified but likely russian factory in 2023. Andrii Rudyk suggested that russia might be assessing global responses to its use of chemical weapons in Ukraine, possibly with the intention of expanding the range of such weaponry. It is crucial to note that russia is bound by the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), explicitly prohibiting the use of Riot Control Agents (RCAs) as a method of warfare.
Read more: russian Troops are Trying to Counter Ukrainian Strikes in Bid to Break Free from Positional Warfare - ISW
