The Council of the European Union has prepared a new regulation of sanctions that, for the first time, formally accuses Russia of using CS gas as a method of war in the Front in Ukraine, as reported Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
In an explanatory note viewed by the Russian Russian Research Unit of RFE/RL, EU officials refer as a base of the measure to two reports of the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons (OPAQ), published at the request of Ukraine in November 2024 and February 2025.
This proposal is part of a three -sanctions package that is expected to adopt in the next few days, as explained by the same medium. The other two focus on cyber attacks and Russian destabilization campaigns in Europe. According to internal EU sources, a fourth package of sanctions focused on the Russian undercover fleet will follow.
Reports document the alleged use of CS gas in Maryivka and Ilinka, in the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine, during Russian attacks in 2024. The OPAQ based its reports on soil and water samples, interviews with military personnel and photographs of hand grenades marked “RG-VO”, which means “Hand grenade-toxic.
“Given the seriousness of the situation, in the absence of a credible explanation of Russia about the use, widely disclosed, of riot agents, and to reinforce world regulations against the use of chemical weapons, the European Union requires a timely attribution of the proven use of riot agents as a method of war by the OPAQ,” says the memorandum.
The CS is a tear gas also known as “Lilac”. It causes serious irritation in the eyes, skin and airways. Those who come into contact with him lose their orientation and can suffocate. The use of these substances as weapons is prohibited by article 1 of the Convention on Chemical Weapons, according to EU officials.
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