Russian occupying forces forcefully use chemical weapons in the war against Ukraine, violating the Convention on these weapons, to which the aggressor country is also a party. Information about this is provided in the summary of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which refers to the data of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
According to the report, since the start of the full-scale invasion, which began on February 24, 2022, the Russian Armed Forces have used chemical weapons in Ukraine at least 626 times. In the first few weeks of 2024 alone, this happened no fewer than 51 times.
The Ukrainian General Staff indicates that the Russian army is now launching chemical weapons against Defense Forces positions up to 10 times a day. In particular, for this, the occupiers use drones that drop K-51 grenades filled with the irritating gas CS (2-chlorobenzalmalonitrile).
For example, on December 14, 2023, an attack using a new type of gas grenade containing CS gas was recorded against Ukrainian positions. Also, on December 22, the 810th Marine Brigade of the Armed Forces of Russia acknowledged the use of chemical weapons against the Armed Forces of Ukraine, reporting the use of K-51 grenades from drones over positions on the left bank of the Dnieper in the Kherson region near the village of Krynka.
"Russia, which is a party to the Chemical Weapons Convention, which prohibits the use of chemical weapons as a method of warfare, uses the K-51 grenade as part of the conflict against Ukraine, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reminded.
The K-51 grenade in question is a non-lethal Soviet hand-held aerosol "tear gas" grenade developed in the 1970s. The technical characteristics of this tool can be found on Russian weapons websites, but Russian state authorities avoid mentioning the use of this special tool in armed conflicts, since the Convention prohibits the use of chemical weapons in hostilities.
The body of the grenade is made of hard plastic, the bottom is metal. Once ignited, a reaction occurs that increases the pressure inside the casing, pushing out the bottom and spraying a powdered chemical. Two possible variants of the garnet composition are CS (2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile), which is described in the book From Chlorine and Phosgene to Novice. The history of Soviet chemical weapons, or chlorpicrin. In closed rooms, the effect of the grenade extends over 400 square meters. m."
The K-51 grenade, developed in the USSR for the military and intelligence services, is several times more powerful than the standard police tear gas weapon used to disperse mass demonstrations.
Although the grenade is a non-lethal weapon, its high power can temporarily disarm a soldier, leaving him vulnerable to the enemy's lethal weapons. Contact with the gas leads to such unpleasant effects as watery eyes, shortness of breath, coughing, filling of the nasal sinuses with mucus and the possibility of vomiting. The intensity of the symptoms increases with each minute of stay in the toxic cloud.
In November 2023, Russian troops used chemical weapons in the direction of Swativskyi and Bakhmutskyi. To attack the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the enemy used chlorpicrin, which causes severe irritation of the eyes, skin and respiratory tract, can lead to vomiting, dizziness and convulsions.
