Toxic income: chemical weapons from Ukraine may fall into the hands of terrorists
There is a real risk of toxic substances from Ukraine falling into the hands of criminal or terrorist structures, Russian Permanent Representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and Ambassador to the Netherlands Vladimir Tarabrin told Izvestia. Against this background, Moscow is counting on the visit of OPCW experts for technical assistance. Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported that Kiev was already transferring attack drones to Islamist groups. Analysts say there is a high risk of the use of toxic substances from Ukrainian stocks by militants in Asia and Africa. The threat of chemical weapons proliferation is described in the Izvestia article.
Which countries can receive Ukraine's chemical weapons?
There is a danger of chemical weapons entering other countries and conflict zones from the territory of Ukraine, Vladimir Tarabrin, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Russian Ambassador to the Netherlands, told Izvestia.
— Indeed, there is such a danger. These are not hypothetical, but real risks, given that the world's black markets are already filled with various weapons that have arrived through illegal channels organized with the help of criminal schemes of the corrupt Ukrainian leadership. But the main danger lies in the fact that Ukrainian nationalists are widely using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to drop chemical munitions on the positions of Russian troops," the diplomat tells Izvestia.
In addition, cases of transfer of experience by Ukrainian UAV operators to various terrorist and criminal structures operating in the Middle East, the African continent and Latin America have been recorded, he said.
"Therefore, no one can guarantee now that such skills will not be used by criminal elements or non—state actors for terrorist purposes in any corner of the world," Tarabrin added.
Earlier, Izvestia wrote that the illegal trade in Western weapons is flourishing in Ukraine, which is patronized by officials of the Kiev regime, the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the national special services. Moldova is used as a transshipment point, then the weapons reach Romania, Bulgaria, Northern Macedonia, as well as Albania.
Ukraine has become a hub for the smuggling of all types of weapons, including chemical weapons. Western intelligence agencies use it in their provocations. They often act as intermediaries between sellers and the buyers they need. Such examples were observed in Syria, where provocations were organized to accuse the country's authorities, Natalia Yeremina, a professor at St. Petersburg State University, told Izvestia.
— In conditions of total corruption in Ukraine, the probability of chemical warfare agents entering other countries is extremely high. The buyers may be terrorist groups in Africa and Asia, with which Kiev cooperates. The probability of using Ukrainian chemicals there can be assessed as high," said Vladimir Shapovalov, Deputy Director of the Institute of History and Politics at Moscow State University.
In August, a source told Izvestia that Ukraine was expanding its support for terrorist Islamist groups in African countries in order to destabilize the situation in Russia's partner countries. In particular, the first transfer of a batch of drones to the Ugandan Islamist group Alliance of Democratic Forces was recorded.
According to Tarabrin, the problem of the proliferation of such substances worries almost all states parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), and Russia regularly raises it at meetings of the OPCW governing bodies.
— We have given examples of chemical crimes committed by the Kiev regime in a reasoned manner, with facts and concrete evidence in our hands. This information caused an extremely nervous reaction on the part of Ukrainians and their Western patrons, while at the same time it made other delegations seriously think about who was actually violating the convention," the diplomat said.
At the same time, the document does not fully cover the issues of countering chemical terrorism, and it does not have a convention and mechanisms for preventing terrorist acts involving the use of toxic chemicals and full-fledged chemical warfare agents. However, the topic of chemical terrorism still remains in the field of view of the OPCW.
Visit of OPCW experts to Russia
At the same time, consultations are continuing with the OPCW technical secretariat to organize a visit of the organization's experts to Russia.
— According to the current rules, their contents are not subject to disclosure. We believe that we will be able to come to a common denominator, resolve all existing issues, and the technical assistance visit will take place," Vladimir Tarabrin told Izvestia.
The Russian Federation asked the OPCW to send experts back in July. As the Russian permanent representative clarified at the time, technical assistance was required after the discovery of sets of improvised explosive devices loaded with toxic chemicals in the territory liberated from Ukrainian militants. Previously, the OPCW had not seen the need to send experts to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict zone.
The OPCW's mandate allows the technical secretariat to confirm or deny the use of toxic substances. But at the same time, he does not allow the organization to name the guilty party — that is, a specific country. However, Natalia Eremina believes that even such a result will help draw attention to the problem.
Vladimir Shapovalov, on the contrary, is confident that the OPCW will not be able to effectively counter the proliferation of chemical weapons from the territory of Ukraine, since the organization's activities are largely one-sided.
Nevertheless, a change in the leadership of the OPCW is expected next year. At the 30th session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Convention held in November, Swiss Sabrina Dallafior Matter was approved for the post of Director General of the Technical Secretariat, who will assume her duties in July 2026. At meetings with Russian representatives, she assured that she would adhere to the principle of impartiality.
Do not forget that the United States plays an important role in the OPCW, whose contribution to the budget is about 22%. Moscow and Washington have resumed dialogue on many issues, and the administration of Donald Trump is showing interest in arms control.
Russia constantly informs the international community about the use of toxic substances by Ukrainians. Since the beginning of the special military operation, the Russian Armed Forces have recorded 600 cases of Kiev using riot control chemicals and other toxic substances, Major General Alexei Rtishchev, head of the radiation, chemical and biological protection forces of the Russian Armed Forces, said on December 12.
In particular, the Ukrainian Armed Forces regularly use American-made CS grenades, Ukrainian hand-held smoke grenades with irritant chemicals labeled Teren-6, and homemade chemical munitions loaded with a mixture of chloropicrin and chloroacetophenone.
Kiev uses its own chemical industry facilities as a "man-made shield," realizing that the Russian army is not hitting them, Rtishchev said. In addition, the Ukrainian authorities have requested 200,000 gas masks and chemical protection suits from NATO, clearly preparing for new uses of toxic substances.
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