Chemical weapons watchdog again finds banned tear gas in Ukraine samples
THE HAGUE: The international chemical weapons watchdog said Thursday that it had found a banned tear gas in seven samples submitted by Ukraine, which has accused Russia of using the riot control agent on the front line.
It was the third time the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has confirmed the use of CS gas in areas where fighting is taking place in Ukraine.
The OPCW, based in The Hague, said the toxic agent was present in samples from two grenade shells, two soil samples, two vegetation samples and the remains of a drone.
The watchdog also collected documents, digital files and direct testimonies, it said.
The report did not blame either Ukraine or Russia for the use of the substance, which is banned in war zones.
The Chemical Weapons Convention prohibits the use of riot control agents, including CS gas, 'as a method of warfare'.
Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of using chemical weapons in the three-year-old conflict.
Kyiv's Western allies also claim that Moscow has used banned weapons.
The OPCW had previously reported confirmations of the presence of CS gas in samples provided by Ukraine in November 2024 and in February this year.
'The repeated discovery of riot-control agent grenades near active conflict zones in the Dnipropetrovsk region is deeply concerning,' OPCW director general Fernando Arias said, noting 'the pressing need to reinforce adherence to the Chemical Weapons Convention'.
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