U.S. alleges Russian use of chemical weapon in Ukraine

The U.S. State Department on Wednesday said that Russian forces had been using the chemical weapon chloropicrin in Ukraine in violation of international law. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied the accusation at a Thursday briefing, Russian state media reported. Chloropicrin as a gas causes extreme irritation and can damage a person’s upper and lower respiratory tract, according to the National Institutes of Health.

What sort of uses is the United States alleging? Russian forces have not used chemical weapons in just isolated incidents, according to the State Department. They’ve likely used them strategically while trying to dislodge Ukrainian forces from fortified positions, the U.S. State Department said.

What sanctions will be levied? The United States has sanctioned roughly 280 Russian individuals. It also has planned to stop U.S. exports of certain items to Russia, according to a statement by the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Russia. Three of the sanctioned entities are specifically associated with Russian forces’ use of chemical weapons, the U.S. State Department said.

How are chemical weapons internationally restricted? The Chemical Weapons Convention prohibits the use of chemical weapons. Russia is a signatory to the convention, agreeing it would not use such weapons. Additionally, the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991, or the CBW Control Act, requires the U.S. government to sanction foreign governments and entities that use chemical weapons.

Dig deeper: Listen to Mary Reichard’s discussion with USCIRF Commissioner David Curry on The World and Everything in It podcast about possible new additions to the list of countries violating religious freedoms worldwide.