Latest news with #Brekelmans
Novaya Gazeta Europe
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Novaya Gazeta Europe
European spy agencies accuse Russia of ‘widespread' chemical weapons usage in Ukraine — Novaya Gazeta Europe
A Russian Emergency Ministry employee checks radiation levels and potential chemical air pollution in Kursk, Russia, 6 September 2024. Photo: EPA-EFE/STRINGER The Netherlands and Germany have accused Russia of ramping up its chemical weapons usage in Ukraine following a joint investigation of the two countries' intelligence services, according to a joint press release published on Friday. According to the investigation's findings, it is now 'standard practice' for Russia to use tear gas, as well as more serious substances like chloropicrin, high doses of which can be fatal, to force Ukrainian troops to leave cover 'to be killed [with] conventional weapons'. While tear gas is used for law enforcement purposes, its usage in warfare is banned by the 1992 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), to which Russia is a party. "The main conclusion is that we can confirm Russia is intensifying its use of chemical weapons … it is part of a trend we have been observing for several years now, where Russia's use of chemical weapons in this war is becoming more normalized, standardized, and widespread,' Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans said in an interview with Reuters on Friday. Russian chemical weapons had been tied to at least three Ukrainian deaths on the battlefield, with over 2,500 injured casualties also reporting chemical weapons-related symptoms, Brekelmans told Reuters. While Moscow has not yet responded to the latest claims, it has previously denied Kyiv's allegations regarding the illegal use of chemical weapons in Ukraine. Most recently, in March, a Ukrainian delegation to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), accused Russia of 'systematically violating' the CWC, having used chemical munitions over 6,900 times since 2022. On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova claimed that the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) had discovered a Ukrainian storage site containing chloropicrin-equipped weapons in the east of the country, and blamed the OPCW for turning a 'blind eye' to Ukraine's 'flagrant breaches' of international law. In May 2024, the OPCW stated that accusations from both Russia and Ukraine regarding the use of chemical weapons were 'insufficiently substantiated'.
Euronews
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Russia uses chemical agents in Ukraine, Dutch and German agencies say
Russia is increasing its use of prohibited chemical weapons in Ukraine, including the World War I-era poison gas chloropicrin, Dutch and German intelligence agencies said on Friday. Dutch military intelligence and security service, together with the German intelligence service, found that the use of prohibited chemical weapons by the Russian military had become "standardised and commonplace" in Ukraine. According to the findings, the Russian military uses chloropicrin and riot control agent CS against sheltering Ukrainian soldiers, who are then forced out into the open and shot. Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans called for more sanctions against Moscow and continued military support for Kyiv. Brekelmans, who stayed on in a caretaker role after the Dutch coalition government collapsed last month, said that he doesn't want to see the use of chemical weapons become normalised. Lowering the threshold for use "is not only dangerous for Ukraine, but also for the rest of Europe and the world," he said in a statement. Russia is a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention, which bans the use of chloropicrin and CS as weapons. The convention's watchdog, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), has found several incidents in Ukraine involving CS, but the group hasn't conducted a full investigation, which must be requested by the member states. The executive committee for the OPCW is holding a meeting next week, where it's expected to discuss Russia's war in Ukraine. Russian authorities have not immediately commented on the findings, but they have in the past denied using chemical weapons. According to Ukraine, Russia has carried out 9,000 chemical weapons attacks in the country since the start of its full-scale invasion in 2022. In 2024, the US State Department said that it had recorded the use of chloropicrin against Ukrainian troops.
The Hill
04-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Dutch intelligence services say Russia has stepped up use of banned chemical weapons in Ukraine
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Two Dutch intelligence agencies said on Friday that Russia is increasing its use of prohibited chemical weapons in Ukraine, including the World War I-era poison gas chloropicrin. The Netherlands' military intelligence and the security service, together with the German intelligence service, found that the use of prohibited chemical weapons by the Russian military had become 'standardized and commonplace' in Ukraine. According to the findings, the Russian military uses chloropicrin and riot control agent CS against sheltering Ukrainian soldiers, who are then forced out into the open and shot. Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans called for more sanctions against Moscow, and continued military support for Kyiv. Brekelmans, who stayed on in a caretaker role after the Dutch government collapsed last month, said that he doesn't want to see the use of chemical weapons become normalized. Lowering the threshold for use 'is not only dangerous for Ukraine, but also for the rest of Europe and the world,' he said in a statement. Russia has signed up to the Chemical Weapons Convention, which bans the use of chloropicrin and CS as weapons. The convention's watchdog, The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, or OPCW, has found several incidents in Ukraine involving CS, but the group hasn't conducted a full investigation, which must be requested by the member states. The executive committee for the OPCW is holding a regular meeting next week, where it's expected to discuss the conflict in Ukraine. Russian authorities didn't immediately comment on the findings, but they have denied using chemical weapons in the past, instead alleging that Ukraine has used the banned substances. According to Ukraine, Russia has carried out 9,000 chemical weapons attacks in the country since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. In 2024, the U.S. State Department said that it had recorded the use of chloropicrin against Ukrainian troops. ___ Follow the AP's coverage of the war at
04-07-2025
- Politics
Dutch intelligence services say Russia has stepped up use of banned chemical weapons in Ukraine
THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- Two Dutch intelligence agencies said on Friday that Russia is increasing its use of prohibited chemical weapons in Ukraine, including the World War I-era poison gas chloropicrin. The Netherlands' military intelligence and the security service, together with the German intelligence service, found that the use of prohibited chemical weapons by the Russian military had become 'standardized and commonplace' in Ukraine. According to the findings, the Russian military uses chloropicrin and riot control agent CS against sheltering Ukrainian soldiers, who are then forced out into the open and shot. Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans called for more sanctions against Moscow, and continued military support for Kyiv. Brekelmans, who stayed on in a caretaker role after the Dutch government collapsed last month, said that he doesn't want to see the use of chemical weapons become normalized. Lowering the threshold for use 'is not only dangerous for Ukraine, but also for the rest of Europe and the world,' he said in a statement. Russia has signed up to the Chemical Weapons Convention, which bans the use of chloropicrin and CS as weapons. The convention's watchdog, The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, or OPCW, has found several incidents in Ukraine involving CS, but the group hasn't conducted a full investigation, which must be requested by the member states. The executive committee for the OPCW is holding a regular meeting next week, where it's expected to discuss the conflict in Ukraine. Russian authorities didn't immediately comment on the findings, but they have denied using chemical weapons in the past, instead alleging that Ukraine has used the banned substances. According to Ukraine, Russia has carried out 9,000 chemical weapons attacks in the country since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
San Francisco Chronicle
04-07-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Dutch intelligence services say Russia has stepped up use of banned chemical weapons in Ukraine
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Two Dutch intelligence agencies said on Friday that Russia is increasing its use of prohibited chemical weapons in Ukraine, including the World War I-era poison gas chloropicrin. The Netherlands' military intelligence and the security service, together with the German intelligence service, found that the use of prohibited chemical weapons by the Russian military had become 'standardized and commonplace' in Ukraine. According to the findings, the Russian military uses chloropicrin and riot control agent CS against sheltering Ukrainian soldiers, who are then forced out into the open and shot. Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans called for more sanctions against Moscow, and continued military support for Kyiv. Brekelmans, who stayed on in a caretaker role after the Dutch government collapsed last month, said that he doesn't want to see the use of chemical weapons become normalized. Lowering the threshold for use 'is not only dangerous for Ukraine, but also for the rest of Europe and the world,' he said in a statement. Russia has signed up to the Chemical Weapons Convention, which bans the use of chloropicrin and CS as weapons. The convention's watchdog, The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, or OPCW, has found several incidents in Ukraine involving CS, but the group hasn't conducted a full investigation, which must be requested by the member states. The executive committee for the OPCW is holding a regular meeting next week, where it's expected to discuss the conflict in Ukraine. According to Ukraine, Russia has carried out 9,000 chemical weapons attacks in the country since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
