Russian troops use chemical weapons over 5,300 times in Ukraine since 2023, military data shows

Russia’s military use of dangerous chemical substances has become systemic, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

With the onset of Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine, radiation, chemical, and biological reconnaissance units have been directly monitoring and documenting the use of hazardous chemicals on the battlefield. Since February 2023, the utilization of dangerous chemicals by Russia has taken on a systematic nature. In total, 5,389 cases of chemical use have been recorded during this period.

The General Staff reports that the Russian military continues to use specialized munitions filled with chemicals against Ukraine’s Defense Forces.

“Alongside conventional firepower, the enemy has been deploying munitions containing dangerous chemicals, such as K-51 and RG-VO, which are crowd control agents and are banned as weapons of war,” its statement reads.

The General Staff also highlights a notable proportion of munitions containing unidentified hazardous chemical compounds. In December 2024, units of radiation, chemical, and biological reconnaissance from Ukraine’s Support Forces recorded 434 instances of such chemical munitions.

The General Staff emphasizes that Russia is flagrantly violating the laws of war, disregarding the norms and obligations outlined in the Chemical Weapons Convention, which prohibits the development, production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons.

Earlier, a Russian general in charge of chemical warfare forces was killed by an explosive device in Moscow. Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, who headed Russia’s radiation, chemical, and biological protection forces, and his assistant died when a bomb hidden in an electric scooter detonated outside an apartment building on Ryazansky Prospekt Avenue, approximately seven km southeast of the Kremlin.

The explosion occurred shortly before Kirillov’s Toyota Camry service vehicle was due to pick him up for work. The blast shattered windows from the first to third floors and damaged entrance doors.

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