NATO planned to supply Ukraine with antidotes for Sarin, Soman: Moscow

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A structure within NATO has planned to supply Ukraine with a large batch of protective equipment, with antidotes for such nerve agents as sarin and soman being in priority, the head of the radiation, chemical, and biological defense troops of the Russian armed forces revealed on Tuesday.

"The Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre has planned to supply Ukraine with a large batch of personal protective equipment … Priority is given to antidotes for organophosphorus poisonous substances such as sarin and soman," Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov told reporters.

West claims Russia can use mass destruction arms

Kirillov pointed out that the West regularly declares the possibility of Russia using weapons of mass destruction, but such projects have already been implemented more than once by the United States itself.

"We have repeatedly noted that the leadership of Western countries regularly makes provocative statements about the possibility of Russia using weapons of mass destruction," he said, noting that such projects have already been implemented more than once by the United States itself to reach political goals.

The Russian official recalled one of such cases, when Washington used a test tube containing "washing powder" as a pretext for the invasion of Iraq in 2003, which led to the death of more than half a million citizens.

Read more: Ukrainian soldiers could be preparing chemical attack: Russian embassy

US plans to carry out provocation using toxic agents

In the same context, Kirillov also revealed that the US plans to organize a provocation in Ukraine with the use of toxic agents while blaming Russia.

According to the Russian official, on February 22, an influential US non-governmental organization held a conference on the events in Ukraine, and former US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan claimed that Russian troops planned to use chemical weapons in the area of the special military operation.

"We regard this information as the intention of the United States itself and its accomplices to carry out a provocation in Ukraine using toxic chemicals," Kirillov indicated, pointing out that Washington hopes that during hostilities it will not be possible to properly investigate the planned chemical provocation.

He warned that in case the provocation does take place, the Russian Defense Ministry will identify and punish the true culprits, underlining that the West mistakenly hopes that the provocation will be successful because the Russian Defense Ministry can identify the country that produced the toxic agent.

Read more: Kiev preparing armed provocation against Transnistria: Russian MoD

US still able to synthesize precursors of BZ agent

Lt. Gen. Kirillov mentioned that the United States is likely to try to use the BZ military incapacitating agent in Ukraine, adding that it retained the ability to synthesize precursors of the agent at the basis of pharmaceutical production facilities in the amount of up to several tens of tonnes per year.

He told reporters that despite the US announcing the complete destruction of BZ stocks back in 1990, the samples remained.

Train with chemicals arrived in Kramatorsk

Elsewhere in his statement, the Russian official revealed that a train carrying a cargo of chemicals arrived in the Ukraine-controlled city of Kramatorsk in Donbass and the cargo was later delivered to the line of contact.

"The Russian Defense Ministry received information that on February 10, 2023, a train arrived in Ukraine (Kramatorsk), in one of the wagons of which there was a cargo of chemicals, accompanied by a group of foreign citizens," he said.

"The wagon was uncoupled and towed to the territory of the Kramatorsk Metallurgical Plant named after Kuibyshev, where chemicals were unloaded under the control of the security service of Ukraine and representatives of the command of the armed forces of Ukraine," he added during the briefing.

According to Kirilliov, the cargo consisted of 16 sealed metal boxes, eight of which had a chemical hazard sign -- the inscription "BZ" and marking with two red lines -- which corresponds to the class of poisonous substances with a temporary detoxifying effect.

"The cargo was placed on US-made armored vehicles, which, as part of the convoy, left for the line of contact," Kirillov added.

The head of the radiation, chemical, and biological defense troops of the Russian armed forces also revealed that on February 19, 11 wagons with shrapnel ammunition with special markings were unloaded in Kramatorsk, indicating that earlier, such ammunition was modernized in the United States for damaging elements with liquid formulations of irritating substances.

Read more: DPR Chief warns Ukrainian forces use drone-dropped chemical weapons