ISW: Russia Continues Using Chemical Weapons in Ukraine and Blames Kyiv to Undermine Western Support

Russian officials once again baselessly claim that Ukraine is using a "wide range of toxic chemicals" against Russian forces, including banned substances. This move by the Kremlin amplifies a disinformation campaign aimed at undermining Western resolve in supporting Ukraine. Interestingly, Russian forces themselves have repeatedly used white phosphorus in Ukrainian cities, according to ISW reports.

The Institute for the Study of War specifically notes that the Kremlin continues to rely on long-debunked propaganda narratives as part of its information operations aimed at discrediting and undermining Western support for Ukraine.

For instance, in an interview published on March 25, Russian Ambassador to The Hague, Vladimir Tarabin, reiterated the Kremlin's false claims that Ukraine is developing biological weapons in labs funded by the US and NATO. Tarabin's persistent use of debunked information about labs in Ukraine raises doubts about the truthfulness of his other statements.

Furthermore, Tarabin alleged that Ukrainian forces regularly disperse various toxic chemicals, including substances prohibited by the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), against Russian troops along the front line, although he did not specify exact locations or instances of Ukrainian forces using chemical weapons.

Additionally, an unnamed Russian company claimed that Ukrainian forces use phosphorus munitions in undisclosed locations along the Zaporizhzhia direction. However, there is evidence that Russian forces have used white phosphorus in cities they attempted to capture, posing a risk to civilian populations.

The falsehoods in Russian propaganda narratives regarding Ukraine's use of chemical weapons and the development of biological weapons in labs are often contradicted by Russians themselves. Hundreds of Russian scientists, many still in Russia, have called the claims about biological weapon labs "pure fiction," and the evidence presented by Russian media in support of these claims as "obviously false."

"We demand an end to the deceitful, completely unfounded, and hate-fueling statements about alleged evidence of biological weapon development in Ukrainian labs," said Russian biologist Yevgeny Levitin in a letter signed by hundreds of Russian scientists and sent to Russian media shortly after the Kremlin's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The Kremlin and its ministers have repeatedly approached the UN Security Council with their false claims about biological weapon labs. The UN has consistently refuted these claims.

"The United Nations has no information about any such programs for developing biological weapons in Ukraine," said UN Deputy Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu on March 11, 2022. UN representatives reiterated this statement in May 2022 and October 2022.