Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has thoroughly studied the report of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on the results of the Technical Assistance Visit of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons 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 report emphasizes that the evidence provided by Ukraine, in particular a grenade marked RG-Vo and the corresponding soil samples, has been collected and provided to the OPCW representatives in compliance with the chain-of-custody and relevant procedures.

The evidence provided by Ukraine has been thoroughly analyzed by two OPCW designated laboratories, independent from one another.

The document confirms that the evidence provided by Ukraine contains chemical elements that are related to riot control agents, which, as Ukraine has repeatedly stated, are regularly used by the Russian Federation as a method of warfare against the Security and Defense Forces of Ukraine.

The OPCW report has clearly confirmed that both the grenade taken from the trench and the soil sample taken next to it contained CS substance, which is a part of riot control agents.

The Ukrainian side has consistently stated that the Russian Federation systematically uses hazardous chemical substances against Ukraine, in particular tear gas grenades of RG-Vo type.

Thus, in the period from February 2023 to October 2024, there have been recorded and documented more than 4 600 cases of use by the Russian Federation of munition containing hazardous chemicals, including 2-chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile (CS), chloroacetophenone (CN), as well as chloropicrin and mercaptans (malodorants).

Riot control agents (RCAs) on the battlefield create deadly conditions, forcing militaries to either endure physical disability or risk their lives by leaving their trenches where they can be shot down. This is a direct violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which prohibits the use of such agents in warfare due to their inhumane effects.

According to the competent authorities of Ukraine, RG-Vo grenades are produced at Russian enterprises, in particular at the Russian Research Center Applied Chemistry and the Scientific Research Institute of Applied Chemistry.

Such actions by the Russian Federation constitute a blatant violation of paragraph 5 of Article 1 of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction.

The Russian Federation has repeatedly used chemical weapons in the territory of sovereign states, and therefore has no moral right to be a member of the governing bodies of relevant international organizations, in particular the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

Russia’s use of prohibited chemicals on the battlefield is yet another example of Russia’s chronic disregard for norms of international law. The Russian regime poses a threat to the entire international community, and all efforts must be united to achieve a comprehensive, just, and sustainable peace.

Ukraine has sufficient evidence of Russia's violations of the norms of the Convention and will engage the international community in decisive action, including through the independent and expert work of the OPCW with the support of partners. True peace can only be achieved through force, not appeasement.