Russia used chemical weapons in Ukraine and is now paying the price

The Russian military has used chemical weapons in Ukraine. Now sanctions are imposed for his illegal activities.

The use of chemical weapons against Ukraine is yet another war crime by the Russian military.

Chemical weapons and sanctions in the war in Ukraine

The specter of chemical warfare is reemerging on European soil, more than a century after World War I introduced humanity to the barbaric brutality of chemical and biological warfare.

Russian units have widely used riot control agents and chloropicrin, a poisonous asphyxiant first deployed in the trenches of World War I, against Ukrainian troops.

Among the units and individuals sanctioned are the Russian military’s radiological, chemical and biological (RCB) defense units and their leader, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of the nuclear, chemical and biological protection forces of the Russian Armed Forces. Kirillov has been cited as a contractor for the use of chemical weapons in Ukraine, and as a “key mouthpiece for the Kremlin’s disinformation.”

RCB units are responsible for the identification and decontamination of radioactive, chemical and biological hazards. On a day-to-day level, RCB forces carry out the Russian military’s chemical weapons program and are the ones responsible for deploying chloropicrin against Ukrainian units.

“Putin’s forces have broken international law by using chemical weapons in Ukraine, and Britain is taking action with sanctions. The UK Ministry of Defense has already provided protective equipment and decontamination kits to enhance Ukraine’s protective capabilities,” the UK Ministry of Defense announced.

In addition, the United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on two Russian military laboratories for supporting the development and deployment of chemical weapons in Ukraine.

“Russia’s blatant disregard for the Chemical Weapons Convention is a serious violation of international law. Agents of Putin’s mafia state were also responsible for deploying the deadly nerve agent Novichok on the streets of Salisbury in 2018, and against opposition leader Alexei Navalny in 2020,” the British government said.

The Ukrainian military has received chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) protective equipment from the United States and NATO.

The US has also initiated proceedings to sanction Russian units and individuals for their role in the use of chemical weapons against Ukrainian forces.

Practical and accountable

In practice, such sanctions are likely to have limited short-term impact and only potential long-term impact. The Kremlin is waging an illegal war with many war crimes. Russian forces have killed, mutilated, tortured and raped Ukrainian prisoners and civilians without any respect for international law. The perpetrators could be held accountable if the war ended at Moscow’s gates and defeated Russia surrendered unconditionally. But that will hardly happen without the involvement of the United States and the West, a scenario that no one wants. Without such an outcome, it is difficult to punish war criminals under penalty from their home countries.

Military and political officials from Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan were not punished until after World War II because the Allies were able to punish them. Without the ability to try and punish, sanctions have little practical effect.

About the author

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist, specialized in special operations and a veteran of the Greek Army (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from Johns Hopkins University and an MA from Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx and SOFREP.

Image credits: Creative Commons and/or Shutterstock.