The EU Council officially accuses Russia for the first time of using chemical weapons in Ukraine.

The European Union has for the first time accused Russia of using tear gas on the front in Ukraine

The European Union Council officially accuses the Russian Federation of using CS tear gas on the Ukrainian front as a method of warfare. The EU document refers to requests from the Ukrainian side to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in November 2024 and February 2025 regarding instances of CS gas use near the settlements of Mar'ivka and Illinka in the Dnipropetrovsk region in 2024.

European officials justify the new sanctions with data from the OPCW, which include comprehensive evidence of the presence of the gas following Russian attacks, including soil and water analysis results. The new EU sanctions list will also include the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Troops of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, as well as some research centers related to the development of chemical agents.

Additionally, there is evidence from the Russian propaganda channel RT and OPCW experts about the use of RG-V hand grenades by Russian military as a means of poisoning. In its report, the EU calls on the OPCW to quickly establish Russia's guilt and reinforce the ban on the use of chemical weapons.