The United States further sanctioned Russian entities and individuals on Wednesday in retaliation for the formal allegation that Russia employed chemical weapons against Ukrainian troops.
The U.S. State Department issued a statement late Wednesday accusing Russia of violating the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) due to its use of the “choking agent” chloropicrin against Ukrainian forces.
“We make this determination in addition to our assessment that Russia has used riot control agents [tear gas] as a method of warfare in Ukraine, also in violation of the CWC.” the statement said.
On Thursday, in response to the allegations, the Kremlin stated that they were unfounded and unsubstantiated.
“We did, in fact, observe the news coverage of this issue. Such announcements consistently appear to be completely unfounded and lack any supporting evidence.” The Kremlin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters that Russia has been and continues to be committed to its international law obligations in this area, according to the news agency RIA Novosti.
Chloropicrin’s agricultural use as an insecticide has replaced its former role as a poison gas during World War I. The respiratory system is the most frequently affected organ by choking agents; inhalation of these substances induces fluid secretion from alveoli, which are air sacs located in the lungs, and almost completely drowns those impacted. It is no longer approved for use in military settings.
In February, Ukraine accused Russia of using chemical weapons in over 200 battlefield attacks in January. Russia denied the allegations and accused Ukraine of using chemical weapons. Neither has provided evidence.
The U.S. designated three Russian government entities as “associated with Russia’s chemical and biological weapons programs” and four Russian companies as “supporting such entities.”
The Treasury Department is sanctioning three entities and two individuals for procuring items for Russian military institutes involved in chemical and biological weapons programs.
Russia is one of the 193 nations that have ratified the convention, which mandates that signatories disclose any quantities of prohibited chemical weapons and facilities they may possess, as well as make every effort to eliminate them.