BELGIUM, BRUSSELS, Jul 16 — Russia is “intensifying” the usage of chemical weapons in Ukraine to “subdue the country by causing as much pain and suffering as possible,” said Kaja Kallas, Europe’s top diplomat, to journalists after a gathering of foreign affairs ministers, reports Politico. 

Kallas’ information was based on German and Dutch intelligence reports that note a “growing readiness” of Russia to use chemical weapons. 

At the beginning of July, Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans told Reuters that, in Ukraine, more than 2,500 people who were injured on the battlefield reported chemical weapons-related symptoms to Ukrainian health authorities, and three people died because of chemical weapons-related injuries. 

Kallas said that Russia has used chemical weapons over 9,000 times since the start of the full-scale invasion. The German and Dutch reports attribute these numbers to Ukraine’s defence ministry. 

The United States accused Russia of using chloropicrin, a chemical compound more toxic than riot control agents and first used by Germany during World War I, in May 2024.

Russian authorities agreed to comply with the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1997 and destroy their chemical weapons stockpile.

Chloropicrin, which Russian forces use, is listed as a banned choking agent by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. It can cause severe irritation to the skin, eyes, and respiratory tract. If ingested, it can cause burns in the mouth and stomach, nausea and vomiting, and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath.

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