WASHINGTON, United States: The US State Department Wednesday accused Russia of having used a chemical weapon against Ukrainian forces in violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, while also announcing fresh sanctions against Moscow.
The department in a factsheet said that in addition to the chemical agent chloropicrin, Russia also used “riot control agents (tear gas) as a method of warfare in Ukraine, also in violation of the CWC.”
“The use of such chemicals is not an isolated incident, and is probably driven by Russian forces’ desire to dislodge Ukrainian forces from fortified positions and achieve tactical gains on the battlefield,” the State Department added.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sweeping sanctions aimed at crippling Russia’s military and industrial capabilities — including targeting nearly 300 entities in Russia, China and other countries accused of supporting President Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
The sanctions are intended to punish companies that help Moscow obtain weapons for its war in Ukraine. They also target Russian government entities and companies involved in the country’s chemical and biological weapons programmes.
Russia has said it no longer has a military chemical arsenal, but the country is facing pressure to be more transparent about its alleged use of toxic weapons.
According to the US National Institutes of Health, the chemical chloropicrin is used both as a combat agent and as a pesticide. It poses a health risk when inhaled.
“Today’s actions will further disrupt and degrade Russia’s war efforts by going after its military industrial base and the evasion networks that help supply it,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement.
The accusations and sanctions come a week after US President Joe Biden signed into law a long-delayed bill to provide new funding for Ukraine as Kiev’s military struggles to contain Russian advances.
As part of the measure, the State Department has blacklisted other individuals and companies involved in Moscow’s energy, mining and metallurgical sectors.
The sanctions also targeted those linked to the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in a Siberian prison in February.
Among the nearly 300 sanctioned targets were dozens of actors accused of allowing Russia to obtain desperately needed technology and equipment from abroad.
Some of those targeted were based in countries such as China, which have faced growing pressure from Washington over its support for Russia during its 15-month invasion of Ukraine.
In addition to China, the targeted non-Russian entities were located in Azerbaijan, Belgium, Slovakia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
These companies allow Russia to obtain desperately needed technology and equipment from abroad, the statement said.
