Latest news with #intelligenceagencies
Asharq Al-Awsat
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Ukraine Urges Investigation into Alleged Russian Chemical Weapons Use
Ukraine asked the global chemical weapons watchdog in The Hague on Tuesday to investigate the alleged use of banned toxic munitions by Russia against its forces. A request to establish an investigation was submitted by Kyiv to the governing body of the organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). It followed Dutch and German intelligence agencies on Friday saying they had evidence of widespread use of illegal weapons by Russia along the frontline. Agency chief Fernando Arias said in a statement to the OPCW's Executive Council that in view of the alleged frequent use of dangerous chemical agents his office would step up monitoring of activity along the Russia-Ukraine conflict line, Reuters reportf. He invited Ukraine to discuss its proposal with member states, a majority of whom may be needed to support such an investigation. The OPCW created a similar team in 2018 to examine accusations of chemical weapons use in Syria. The Investigation and Identification Team found that Syrian government forces and Islamic State militants had used banned chemical weapons in the civil war that began in March 2011. The United States first accused Russia in May last year of using chloropicrin, a chemical compound more toxic than riot control agents and first used by Germany during World War One. The OPCW, a disarmament agency in The Hague with 193 member states, said last year that initial accusations levelled by both countries at each other were "insufficiently substantiated". Both sides have denied using chemical weapons in the conflict, which escalated when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. "Ukraine hereby requests the Director-General of the OPCW to take steps towards establishing an independent and impartial mechanism (to) investigate cases of alleged use of chemical weapons in Ukraine," a copy of the request shared with Reuters said. It asked that the mechanism be empowered to "collect additional evidence and identify perpetrators, organisers, sponsors of such use." It was submitted at the beginning of four days of closed-door meetings by the 41-country Executive Council of the OPCW. The disarmament body had no immediate comment on the request. At least three Ukrainian deaths have been tied to chemical weapons use, the Dutch Military Intelligence Agency said, while more than 2,500 people injured on the battlefield reported chemical weapons-related symptoms to Ukrainian health authorities. On Monday, Britain targeted two Russian individuals and one Russian entity as part of its chemical weapons sanctions regime, in its latest effort to punish Moscow for the war in Ukraine.
The Independent
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
‘Common' for hostile states to use criminals to carry out offences on UK soil
More than a fifth of the work of UK counter-terrorism policing is dealing with plots by hostile states, including Russia. It, along with countries such as China and Iran, uses proxies to carry out crimes in Britain, as the operating environment has become more difficult for spies. Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism Commander Dominic Murphy said: 'More than 20% of our work now in counter-terrorism policing comes from a threat from states, and Russia is one of those states now that, as we've seen on a few occasions, have really gone over and above to project a threat into the United Kingdom. 'But in this case, as a result of some of the hard work of us and our intelligence agencies, the hostile operating environment for Russia means, of course, they've recruited young criminals to undertake their work on their behalf.' He said it is common for states to recruit criminals like Dylan Earl to carry out offences on UK soil. 'We are seeing it quite a bit within our case work. 'It says something about the fact that we have made it very difficult for some of these states to operate in a historical way with their own agents and officers here in the United Kingdom. ' One of the things we need to do is make sure that we are continuing to work with our intelligence partners as effectively as possible to identify where they are tasking, often young criminals, to undertake their work on their behalf, so that we can intervene and disrupt their activities.' The case is the first conviction under the National Security Act, and one of the first cases involving the Wagner Group in the UK, he said. 'It's important to remember as well that two individuals, Earl and (Jake) Reeves, have both pleaded guilty to national security act offences. 'So this is the first time that we've seen the National Security Act used from arrest right through to conviction, and that's a very significant use of legislation, and should serve as a really important message to anyone who might want to get involved in this type of activity on behalf of a foreign government.' Earl and Reeves also plotted to set fire to the Hide Restaurant and Hedonism Wines in Mayfair, west London, and plotted to kidnap owner Evgeny Chichvarkin on behalf of the Wagner Group. Mr Murphy said: 'Earl and Reeves were planning other activity involved in attacking other premises, potentially here in Mayfair, and they'd also discussed the potential kidnap for the individual that owned those premises. 'What this action has done is allow us to disrupt that ongoing activity, and as we can see from the seriousness and the scale of the warehouse fire, clearly, these individuals did pose a threat, and this activity has managed to disrupt that.'
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine urges investigation into alleged Russian chemical weapons use
By Anthony Deutsch THE HAGUE (Reuters) -Ukraine asked the global chemical weapons watchdog in The Hague on Tuesday to investigate the alleged use of banned toxic munitions by Russia against its forces. A request to establish an investigation was submitted by Kyiv to the governing body of the organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). It followed Dutch and German intelligence agencies on Friday saying they had evidence of widespread use of illegal weapons by Russia along the frontline. The OPCW created a similar team in 2018 to examine accusations of chemical weapons use in Syria. The Investigation and Identification Team found that Syrian government forces and Islamic State militants had used banned chemical weapons in the civil war that began in March 2011. The United States first accused Russia in May last year of using chloropicrin, a chemical compound more toxic than riot control agents and first used by Germany during World War One. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), a disarmament agency in The Hague with 193 member states, said last year that initial accusations levelled by both countries at each other were "insufficiently substantiated". Both sides have denied using chemical weapons in the conflict, which escalated when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. "Ukraine hereby requests the Director-General of the OPCW to take steps towards establishing an independent and impartial mechanism (to) investigate cases of alleged use of chemical weapons in Ukraine," a copy of the request shared with Reuters said. It asked that the mechanism be empowered to "collect additional evidence and identify perpetrators, organisers, sponsors of such use." It was submitted at the beginning of four days of closed-door meetings by the 41-country Executive Council of the OPCW. The disarmament body had no immediate comment on the request. At least three Ukrainian deaths have been tied to chemical weapons use, the Dutch Military Intelligence Agency said, while more than 2,500 people injured on the battlefield reported chemical weapons-related symptoms to Ukrainian health authorities. On Monday, Britain targeted two Russian individuals and one Russian entity as part of its chemical weapons sanctions regime, in its latest effort to punish Moscow for the war in Ukraine.
The Independent
04-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Russian use of chemical weapons in Ukraine ‘widespread and growing' European intelligence warns
Russia has been accused by European intelligence agencies of 'widespread' use of banned chemical weapons in Ukraine. While it was already accused of using tear gas in its three-year war in Ukraine, German and Dutch intelligence agencies say Moscow has expanded its use of chemical weapons on the battlefield, including the use of potentially-lethal chemical choking agent chloropicrin. Dutch intelligence said the chemical is dropped from Russian drones to force soldiers out of trenches so they can be shot, as Russia looks to continue making gains on the battlefield despite international efforts towards peace. The chemical, which was widely used during World War One, can cause irritation of the lungs, eyes and skin and can cause diarrhoea, vomiting and nausea. "The main conclusion is that we can confirm Russia is intensifying its use of chemical weapons," Dutch defence minister Ruben Brekelmans told Reuters, as he called for tougher sanctions for Moscow. "This intensification is concerning because 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." Germany's BND foreign intelligence agency said Russia has been using not only tear gas but also "the more dangerous chemical chloropicrin, which can be lethal in high concentrations in enclosed spaces". This is a more serious violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, it added. European intelligence officials fear that Russia's chemical weapons use is part of a large-scale intensification of chemical weapons production, and that Russian officials are issuing direct instructions to soldiers to use the poisonous warfare agents. Russian chemical weapons use is 'truly part of a large scale programme' rather than 'some ad-hoc tinkering at the frontline', said Peter Reesink, the head of the Dutch military intelligence agency (MIVD). The United States first accused Russia of using chloropicrin, a chemical compound more toxic than riot control agents, in May last year. Kyiv has alleged thousands of instances of chemical weapons usage by Russian forces. The head of the Dutch Military Intelligence Agency (MIVD), Peter Reesink, noted "thousands of instances" of chemical weapons use, while also citing a Ukrainian figure of 9,000. At least three Ukrainian deaths have been tied to chemical weapons use, Mr Brekelmans said, while more than 2,500 people injured on the battlefield reported chemical weapons-related symptoms to Ukrainian health authorities. Moscow denies this, and has accused Ukraine itself of using such weapons. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday that its security service discovered a Ukrainian cache of explosive devices in the east of the country containing chloropicrin. Kyiv has consistently denied such allegations. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), a disarmament agency in The Hague with 193 member states, said last year that initial accusations levelled by both countries at each other were "insufficiently substantiated". Mr Brekelmans has now called on Western countries to 'increase the pressure' on Russia including by 'looking at more sanctions and specifically not allowing them (Russia) to participate in international bodies like the Executive Council of the OPCW'. There have been previous allegations of Russian use of chemical weapons in Ukraine. The US said in May 2024 that Russia had used the chloropicrin agent, adding that it was not an isolated incident. Washington's state department also said Moscow's forces had used tear gas. Moscow has repeatedly been accused by Western countries of using toxic chemical substances in foreign countries, including multiple suspected poisonings in the UK. The poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury, 2018, was a botched attempt to assassinate Sergei Skripal, a former Russian military officer and double agent for the British intelligence agencies. The Novichok nerve agent was used in their poisoning, but they survived after weeks in intensive care in hospital. The British government accused Russia of attempted murder. Twelve years earlier, former Russian Federal Security Service officer Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned with Polonium-210 after fleeing Russia, criticising its government and working with foreign intelligence agencies.
