The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has thoroughly studied the third report of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons on the results of the Technical Assistance Visit of the OPCW to Ukraine, carried out under subparagraph 38 (e) of Article VIII of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction.
The OPCW experts, following the relevant procedures, have conducted a comprehensive analysis of evidentiary materials confirming the Russian Federation’s blatant violations of the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention. Among the evidence are two Russian RG-Vo gas grenades, a K-510 fuse, and an unmanned aerial vehicle used for delivering these devices. As of today, the OPCW has at its disposal seven such Russian grenades, which demonstrates the systematic nature of their use by the Russian Federation.
According to the results of research conducted by two independent OPCW-designated laboratories, the submitted samples confirmed the presence of CS — a substance commonly used in riot control agents.
Ukraine regularly informs the OPCW Technical Secretariat and the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention on the systematic use by the Russian Federation of hazardous chemical substances against the Security and Defense Forces of Ukraine. From February 2023 to June 2025, there have been documented 9 712 cases of by Russian occupation forces’ use of munitions containing hazardous chemical agents, including riot control agents as a method of warfare. We reiterate that such actions by the Russian Federation constitute a gross violation of paragraph 5 of Article I of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
The third OPCW report once again confirms the systematic nature of violations committed by the Russian Federation, which deliberately undermines the foundations of global security and breaches international norms on the prohibition of chemical weapons. Despite statements about readiness to end its armed aggression, the Russian leadership deliberately disregards international law and subverts global efforts aimed at the complete prohibition of chemical weapons.
Ukraine highly values the unity and consistency of the international community in imposing sanctions against the Russian Federation for its use of chemical weapons against Ukraine. A recent example of this is the EU’s decision calling for a timely attribution by the OPCW of the proven use of riot control agents as a method of warfare.
Such a mechanism must ensure the prompt, transparent, and impartial establishment of facts related to the use of chemical weapons and the identification of those responsible among Russian war criminals. Ukraine urges the OPCW to intensify work on establishing this mechanism, which will become an important tool for ensuring international accountability of the Russian Federation for violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention. The introduction of an attribution mechanism will contribute not only to the achievement of justice but also to strengthening the international regime for prohibition of chemical weapons.
We are convinced that the international community has sufficient irrefutable evidence to hold the Russian Federation accountable for the deliberate and conscious violation of the norms of the Chemical Weapons Convention. Ukraine relies on decisive and concrete actions from partner states, including through the effective tools available to the OPCW.
We emphasize that a resolute legal response to the Russian Federation’s war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and acts of aggression is essential to prevent the recurrence of such crimes in the future — not only against Ukraine, but also against the entire civilized world.