AGI – The US State Department issued a note in which accuses Russia of using a chemical agent, chloropicrin, against Ukrainian forces, in violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention. Russia, adds the State Department, would also have used tear gas, of the type supplied to riot police, as a “guerrilla instrument”, a further violation of the Convention. “The use of such chemicals is not an isolated incident and is likely related to Russian forces’ desire to dislodge Ukrainian forces from fortified positions and gain tactical advantages on the battlefield,” the State Department further said.
Meanwhile, the US Treasury Department announced sanctions against 300 companies in Russia, China and other countries accused of supplying weapons or components to Moscow’s war effort. According to the US National Institutes of Health, chloropicrin is used as both a weapon and a pesticide. If inhaled, the substance poses a health risk. Russia claims it no longer possesses a chemical arsenal.
The latest from the front
A Russian missile attack has injured at least thirteen people in Odessa, the port city in southwestern Ukraine. The mayor of the city, Gennadyi Trukhanov, reported this on Telegram, explaining that “civilian infrastructure was destroyed” and “13 people were injured”. Trukhanov added that firefighters were battling “a large fire”, without providing further details. Oleg Kiper, governor of the Odessa region, reported a toll of 14 injured.
