Russia Poisoned Thousands of Ukrainian Troops Using Banned Substances, Officials Say

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, more than 2,000 Ukrainian servicemen have been hospitalized due to poisoning from chemical substances used by Russian forces, with three fatalities reported.

This was stated by Artem Vlasiuk, Head of the Environmental Safety and Civil Protection Department of the Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Protection Directorate of the Armed Forces Support Command, according to Ukrinform.

“Since the start of the full-scale invasion, more than 2,000 servicemen with varying degrees of poisoning from known and unknown chemical substances have been sent to both military and civilian medical facilities in Ukraine,” Vlasiuk stated.

Vlasiuk noted that some cases involved irritant toxic substances such as CS and CN, which are used in munitions for riot control.

"However, in three cases, medical reports confirmed deaths caused by acute poisoning from an unknown chemical substance," Vlasiuk added.

At the same time, Vlasiuk emphasized that the Ukrainian military does not use chemical substances.

"These means are prohibited, and Ukraine, as a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention, along with its Armed Forces, which serve as a guarantor of the nation's independence and sovereignty, strictly adheres to international law and the requirements of the Chemical Weapons Convention," he said.

On November 18, a report released by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons confirmed for the first time the presence of the banned CS gas in shell fragments and soil samples from a combat zone in Ukraine.