DPR Chief warns Ukrainian forces use drone-dropped chemical weapons

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Ukrainian forces have used chemical weapons on the front lines in the Donbass in the regions of Bakhmut and Ugledar, as per Donetsk People's Republic head Denis Pushilin.

In an interview with Russian media on Monday, Pushilin said, "According to the statements of our forces, and commanders who came forward with such information, there are facts of the use of chemical compounds causing sickness among our servicemen not only in the Artyomovsk [Bakhmut] direction but also in the Ugledar direction." 

Pushilin exposed that he has been receiving such reports for approximately three weeks now.

"They are dropping [chemical weapons] from drones on the locations of our forces," the DPR head confirmed.

Earlier, Yan Gagin, a Pushilin advisor, said as quoted by Russian media that the Ukrainian side was using chemical agents and that the chemicals were causing acute dizziness, nausea, and vomiting among soldiers.

Gagin affirmed that the Ukrainian side has been deploying chemical weapons for some time, with attacks taking place "along the entire front line as substances producing nausea, choking, and coughing," with the chemicals being "sprayed from special containers fitted on drones."

A video published by Ukrainian military apparently shows them preparing to use #chemicalweapons, possibly #phosgene, prohibited by @UN CWC, against Russian military. Letters “OB” stand for toxic munition. This also explains why the gas cylinders need to be stored in the fridge. pic.twitter.com/eDmB43605g

— Russian Embassy, UK (@RussianEmbassy) January 13, 2023

According to the official, the Ukrainian military openly boasted about their possession of these illegal weapons on social media, posting footage of specially-designed drones and imported gas grenades.

Gagin recommended that information on the use of these illicit weapons be collected and reported to the United Nations on a regular basis.

Last spring, Russian and Donbass forces began reporting on Ukraine's purported plans to use chemical weapons. Last year, the Russian military displayed DJI Agras T30 unmanned aerial vehicles recovered in Mariupol, as well as protective equipment like gas masks delivered to Kiev with military help by Germany and the Czech Republic. DJI drones are designed specifically for agricultural applications, with sprayer equipment, onboard cameras, and navigation devices.

In addition to fears about chemical weapons being used against Russian soldiers, Moscow has often expressed concern about Ukraine using these weapons in provocations on important infrastructure and civilians in order to accuse Russia of war crimes.

Along with chemical weapons, the Russian military has routinely briefed policymakers, the public, and the international community on extensive pathogen research and bioweapons projects in Ukraine that are funded and controlled by the US.

The big picture

This comes following a fleet of Western narratives that aim to raise fears across the globe regarding a potential nuclear disaster. The West has been accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of intensifying the Ukraine war, claiming that Russia is willing to deploy nuclear weapons against Ukraine.

But Russia has reiterated several times that its nuclear deterrence policy was guided by the postulate of the inadmissibility of nuclear war, as there could be no winners in such a conflict.

It is noteworthy that the Pentagon has repeatedly stressed that the United States has no indication that Russia intends to use a nuclear weapon in the Ukraine war.

In early October, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said there is no evidence in sight that suggests Russia's intention to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

Concurrently, reports about Ukraine preparing to use a dirty bomb in Ukraine to blame Russia for using nuclear weapons have been circulating for about months now.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky even underlined that NATO must carry out a preemptive strike against Russia instead of waiting for Russia's nuclear attacks. 

In light of that, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that those who attempt to blackmail his country with nuclear weapons will find it coming back to bite them.