A research institute outside Moscow is manufacturing chemical weapons that Russia’s military has deployed in Ukraine — in violation of international law — a report by Skhemy (lit. “Schemes”), the investigative unit of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Ukrainian service, has found.
The Applied Chemistry Research Institute in Sergiyev Posad, a town just over 40 miles northeast of Moscow, sources the components for its grenades from companies across Russia that have not yet been hit by Western sanctions. The facility also receives materials from Chinese firms which it uses to produce banned phosphorus munitions, the investigation revealed.
Despite its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention, Russia has not abandoned such weapons but has instead modernized and expanded their production. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has documented more than 10,000 chemical attacks on its country’s troops — mostly with RG-Vo (РГ-Во) grenades, short for “hand grenade with toxic substance,” which were introduced to Russia’s arsenal in December 2023, according to Skhemy. The grenades are widely used by Russian units, including the 114th and 136th Motorized Rifle Brigades and detachments of the National Guard (Rosgvardiya).
The weapons contain toxic CS and CN gases. While their production is not formally banned, using them in combat violates international law. Russian forces employ the RG-Vo to flush Ukrainian soldiers from dugouts and other shelters before attacking. The grenades have been displayed at exhibitions and on television broadcasts by state-controlled propaganda channel RT, but the Kremlin denies using them.
How the grenades are used
- After pulling the pin and securing the safety lever, the grenade is attached to a quadcopter (a four-rotor drone).
- The operator flies it over Ukrainian positions and drops it into a dugout.
- Toxic smoke quickly fills the space. Soldiers either put on gas masks or flee for air.
- Once they leave cover, Russian troops open fire.
Ahh CS and CN gas aka tear gas that is regularly used by police against protestors even in Europe. In Germany you have to be older than 14 to buy some: https://www.alltags-experte.de/reizgas.html
I mean it is a chemical weapon, but so is gunpowder, dynamite and TNT or the lead in the bullets. On a scale of 1(pepper spray) to 10(certain, gruesome death, close to torture) these tear gases are at most a 2. The thing is that after this 2 there is a void in the scale and the next thing is already a 7. So throwing them into the chemical weapons classification just undermines the actual terrible thing that they usually are.
Yeah the russia war is really bad, but do we really have to write headlines making it sound terrible that they use tear gas? Here comes the whataboutism: What do we do against police forces who use tear gas? Or when we so strongly condemn the russian tear gas ("chemical weapon") then its only logical that we sanction the shit out of countries who manufacture and use scale 7+ chemical weapons right? Like white phosphorous being made into shells in the USA, send to Israel, signed by Nikki Haley (Republican aka Nazi party of the USA) and then thrown at starving children in Gaza. Oh no thats called "right to exist and defend themselves". The hypocrisy is stunning.
While you may be right, if it classifies as a war crime it doesn't matter if there are worse war crimes.
And white phophorous is banned by a lot of countries if I am not wrong it's as mich a war crimes as anti personal mines or cluster munition which aren't war crimes
Who banned white phosphorus? Perhaps certain uses, but generally it is used like anything else.
The reason it's banned is because, when you see it coming, you don't know if it CS gas or, for example, mustard gas. Sure, you can wait for it to hit you before responding, but then you're too late. Instead, you'll usually release your gas on your opponent, and then it escalates and both sides are using the worst gasses possible.
(This is going from the WWI method of releasing gasses the roll across a battlefield. Obviously hand grenade deployment doesn't have quite the same issues.)