Dutch intelligence says Russia has stepped up its use of Ukraine’s banned chemical weapons
The Hague, Netherlands (AP) – Russia is increasing the use of chemical weapons banned by Ukraine, including the toxic gas clopidoprop in World War I, two Dutch intelligence agencies said Friday.
The Dutch military intelligence and security services, together with the German Intelligence Agency, discovered that the use of banned chemical weapons by the Russian military has become “standardized and universal” in Ukraine.
According to the findings, Russian troops used clopidopropyl and Riot Control Agent CS to oppose assault on Ukrainian soldiers, and then forced Ukrainian soldiers to open up and fire.
Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans called for more sanctions on Moscow and continued military support for Kiev.
Brekelmans, who had been in a caretaker role after the Dutch government collapsed last month, said he did not want to see the use of chemical weapons become standardized.
He said in a statement that lowering the threshold for use “is dangerous not only to Ukraine, but to Europe and the rest of the world.”
Russia has signed the Chemical Weapons Convention, which prohibits the use of chloropholitic lipids and CS as weapons. The regulatory body of the Convention, the organization that prohibits chemical weapons or the organization of the OPCW have found several incidents in Ukraine involving CS, but the organization has not yet conducted a comprehensive investigation and must be requested by member states.
The OPCW Executive Committee will hold a regular meeting next week and is expected to discuss the conflict in Ukraine.
Russian authorities did not immediately comment on the findings, but they denied the use of chemical weapons in the past, instead claiming that Ukraine used banned substances.
According to Ukraine, Russia has carried out 9,000 chemical weapons attacks in the country since its full invasion in 2022.
In 2024, the U.S. State Department said it documented the use of chlorophorolipids on Ukrainian forces.
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