US plotting to to accuse Russia of using WMD in Ukraine
The Russian Defense Ministry has evidence that the US is planning provocations to accuse Moscow of employing weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Ukraine,
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Head of radiation, chemical, and biological defense of the Russian forces, Igor Kirillov (TASS)
According to the Russian Armed Forces' chief of radiation, chemical, and biological defense, Igor Kirillov, the Russian defense ministry has evidence that the US is planning provocations to accuse Moscow of employing weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Ukraine.
"The Russian Defense Ministry has information that the United States is preparing provocations to accuse the Russian Armed Forces of using chemical, biological, or tactical nuclear weapons. This plan has already been developed and is a reaction to Russia's successes in conducting the special military operation," Kirillov announced.
Kirillov also stated that, starting March, the leaders of Western countries made inflammatory remarks about Russia's ability to use weapons of mass devastation on a daily basis.
Read more: US-made biolabs in Ukraine complicit in deadly pathogens transfer
The most likely scenario, according to Kirillov, is a western provocation against chemical and biological facilities in Kharkov and Kiev, as well as the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Concerning potential provocations, Kirillov stated that the US State Department may use the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons' attribution process to falsify proof and assign responsibility, as was done in Syria.
"For chemical incidents, the attribution mechanism of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons will be used to fabricate the necessary evidence and name the perpetrators, as has already been repeatedly implemented in the investigations into the chemical incidents in Syria," Kirillov said.
Concerning provocations involving the use of biological weapons, Kirillov stated that the system for examining the instances will be launched within the authority of the UN Secretary-General.
"The mechanism for investigating the possible use of biological weapons will be activated with the sanction of the UN secretary-general, who determines the composition of the expert group based on his own preferences," Kirillov detailed.
According to Kirillov, the Russian military detected three drones in the Kherson region on March 9 loaded with 30-liter canisters and spraying agent equipment, indicating Kiev's willingness to employ biological weapons.
Kirillov believed that the provocation scenarios implied the "covert use" of WMD at the Azovstal steel plant in the city of Mariupol, but Putin's order not to storm the plant disrupted them.
On Thursday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the liberation of the city of Mariupol, which he described as the capital of the Ukrainian neo-Nazi Azov Battalion, noting that the gunmen were trapped in the area of the Azovestal factory.
Read more: Kremlin slams US statement about situation in Mariupol
Russia's Defense Ministry said Friday that if Kiev's soldiers surrender, it was prepared for a humanitarian ceasefire at Mariupol's Azovstal steel plant, the last Ukrainian forces' fortress in the strategic port.
The goals of the second phase of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine include establishing full control over the Donbass region and southern Ukraine, the acting commander of the Central Military District, Maj. Gen. Rustam Minnekaev, said on Friday.
