Moscow has hit back at efforts to accuse Russia of using chemical weapons in the special military operation.
Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, chief of the Russian Armed Forces' Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense forces explained that Germany, Ukraine, and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons' (OPCW) Technical Secretariat are preparing a 'special investigation' to incriminate Russia. He spoke at a briefing of the Russian Ministry of Defense titled "Violations by Ukraine of Obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention."
"According to available information, the US and Germany, together with Ukraine and the OPCW Technical Secretariat, are preparing to launch a special mission to investigate so-called instances of chemical weapons use in Ukraine with the aim of accusing Russia," Kirillov said at the briefing.
"One of the so-called 'independent' states is expected to initiate the investigation and fabricate evidence that Russia used toxic chemicals during the special military operation," added the chief of RCB defense.
According to him, the US has already allocated around $400,000 for these purposes.
Kirillov also recounted the evidence that Moscow has accumulated of Kiev's use of chemical weapons, all of which is largely overlooked by Western governments.
"The Ukrainian regime regularly violates the Chemical Weapons Convention," stated Kirillov.
More than 400 instances of Ukraine using non-lethal toxic chemicals have been recorded during the special military operation. "Most of them have been officially confirmed by an accredited laboratory of the Russian Ministry of Defense," he continued.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces used chloropicrin mixed with chloroacetone in the areas of Donetsk, Bogdanovka, Gorlovka, Kremennaya, and Artemovsk. Kirillov added that Ukrainian forces regularly use chemical riot control agents: gas grenades containing the American-made CS substance, Ukrainian-made hand grenades with irritating chemical agents labeled Teren-6, and homemade chemical munitions. According to him, Ukrainian prisoners of war said that "such means are supplied to assault groups of the Ukrainian Armed Forces."
Likewise, Russian forces discovered a laboratory near Avdeyevka that was clearly used to produce toxic substances with general poisoning effects. According to him, the lab contained a semi-industrial rotary evaporator, a filtration extraction system, chemical reactors, carbon dioxide cylinders, as well as shelves with laboratory glassware and reagents. In addition, personal respiratory protection equipment, including American-made gas masks, and Polish-made skin protection suits were found.
"Analysis of the contents of containers found in the lab showed the presence of sulfuric acid and sodium cyanide, indicating the equipment was used to produce toxic substances. Further, swabs were collected from the laboratory equipment and the extraction system in accordance with OPCW requirements and sent to the Russian Ministry of Defense's chemical-analytical laboratory for in-depth analysis," Kirillov explained.
According to him, research established the presence of sodium cyanide, sulfuric acid, and trace amounts of cyanide anions in the samples.
"The presence of these chemicals clearly indicates that the laboratory was used to produce toxic substances with general poisoning effects," Kirillov emphasized.
"The presence of similar chemical laboratories in Ukraine, like the one found in Avdeyevka, is confirmed by testimonies of Ukrainian servicemen. Ukrainian prisoner of war Sergey Batyr testified that American specialists were involved in these laboratories and participated in the mass production of kamikaze drones," he added.
The laboratory in Avdeyevka could produce at least 3 kilograms of toxic substances per day.
"It is operated by a staff of 2-3 people. Note that the lethal inhalation dose for this group of toxic substances is very small, only 70-80 mg for a human," Kirillov said.
He reminded that, according to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), substances of this group, including hydrogen cyanide, are listed in Schedule 3 of the CWC and their use is prohibited by Article 1 of the Convention.
In May 2024, the Ukrainian Armed Forces dropped munitions on Semyonovka in the DPR, causing symptoms of hydrogen cyanide poisoning among local residents. According to Kirillov, the use of toxic chemicals, including hydrogen cyanide, by the Kiev regime is confirmed by numerous witness testimonies — both civilians and Russian military personnel.
"According to eyewitnesses, the affected villagers exhibited symptoms characteristic of hydrogen cyanide poisoning: difficulty breathing, vomiting, and a bitter almond taste," he said.
In early June, the Ukrainian Armed Forces also used a hydrogen cyanide munition in the Graivoronovsky district of the Belgorod region.
Kirillov noted that Ukraine and the OPCW's Technical Secretariat have signed an agreement on privileges and immunities for Kiev. He believes that this agreement will allow Ukraine to use the OPCW "in its interests, bypassing existing procedures under the Convention, imposing its false conclusions about chemical incident investigations on the organization." Furthermore, the OPCW has received instructions from Western curators to ignore Russia's statements about Ukraine's violations of the chemical weapons convention.
Kirillov highlighted that several publications have expressed concern over Ukraine's creation of a "dirty bomb" using radiochemical substances. The import of spent nuclear fuel and by-products of hazardous chemical production continues into the country through Poland and Romania, turning Ukraine into a "dumping ground" for highly dangerous waste. This process is overseen by the head of the Ukrainian President's Office, Andriy Yermak, and funded by the Soros Foundation, the Russian general noted.
Despite Western efforts, the global expert community has taken note of the information from the Russian Ministry of Defense regarding violations by the US and Ukraine of their non-proliferation obligations concerning weapons of mass destruction.
According to Kirillov, relevant comments were published in European and American media, as well as on information portals in the Asia-Pacific region.