A research institute outside Moscow is manufacturing chemical weapons that Russia’s military has deployed in Ukraine — in violation of international law — a report by Skhemy (lit. “Schemes”), the investigative unit of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Ukrainian service, has found.
The Applied Chemistry Research Institute in Sergiyev Posad, a town just over 40 miles northeast of Moscow, sources the components for its grenades from companies across Russia that have not yet been hit by Western sanctions. The facility also receives materials from Chinese firms which it uses to produce banned phosphorus munitions, the investigation revealed.
Despite its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention, Russia has not abandoned such weapons but has instead modernized and expanded their production. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has documented more than 10,000 chemical attacks on its country’s troops — mostly with RG-Vo (РГ-Во) grenades, short for “hand grenade with toxic substance,” which were introduced to Russia’s arsenal in December 2023, according to Skhemy. The grenades are widely used by Russian units, including the 114th and 136th Motorized Rifle Brigades and detachments of the National Guard (Rosgvardiya).
The weapons contain toxic CS and CN gases. While their production is not formally banned, using them in combat violates international law. Russian forces employ the RG-Vo to flush Ukrainian soldiers from dugouts and other shelters before attacking. The grenades have been displayed at exhibitions and on television broadcasts by state-controlled propaganda channel RT, but the Kremlin denies using them.
How the grenades are used
- After pulling the pin and securing the safety lever, the grenade is attached to a quadcopter (a four-rotor drone).
- The operator flies it over Ukrainian positions and drops it into a dugout.
- Toxic smoke quickly fills the space. Soldiers either put on gas masks or flee for air.
- Once they leave cover, Russian troops open fire.
Just a reminder, that Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty are in fact US-funded, state owned media outlets.
Honestly, as soon as we invented War Crimes, killing each other to assert dominance became rather silly.
deleted by creator
Ahh CS and CN gas aka tear gas that is regularly used by police against protestors even in Europe. In Germany you have to be older than 14 to buy some: https://www.alltags-experte.de/reizgas.html
I mean it is a chemical weapon, but so is gunpowder, dynamite and TNT or the lead in the bullets. On a scale of 1(pepper spray) to 10(certain, gruesome death, close to torture) these tear gases are at most a 2. The thing is that after this 2 there is a void in the scale and the next thing is already a 7. So throwing them into the chemical weapons classification just undermines the actual terrible thing that they usually are.
Yeah the russia war is really bad, but do we really have to write headlines making it sound terrible that they use tear gas? Here comes the whataboutism: What do we do against police forces who use tear gas? Or when we so strongly condemn the russian tear gas (“chemical weapon”) then its only logical that we sanction the shit out of countries who manufacture and use scale 7+ chemical weapons right? Like white phosphorous being made into shells in the USA, send to Israel, signed by Nikki Haley (Republican aka Nazi party of the USA) and then thrown at starving children in Gaza. Oh no thats called “right to exist and defend themselves”. The hypocrisy is stunning.
The reason it’s banned is because, when you see it coming, you don’t know if it CS gas or, for example, mustard gas. Sure, you can wait for it to hit you before responding, but then you’re too late. Instead, you’ll usually release your gas on your opponent, and then it escalates and both sides are using the worst gasses possible.
(This is going from the WWI method of releasing gasses the roll across a battlefield. Obviously hand grenade deployment doesn’t have quite the same issues.)
While you may be right, if it classifies as a war crime it doesn’t matter if there are worse war crimes.
And white phophorous is banned by a lot of countries if I am not wrong it’s as mich a war crimes as anti personal mines or cluster munition which aren’t war crimes
Who banned white phosphorus? Perhaps certain uses, but generally it is used like anything else.
Now that it’s obvious to everyone that the West is losing the war, it’s high time for USAGM to cook up some atrocity propaganda.
Remind me again which country protected and exonerated Unit 731?
.ml shill
opinion disregarded
Explain why, tho. You have a chance to do that by engaging with their arguments.
Do you literally believe I get paid to do this?
No you are just dumb and consume Russian propaganda at wholesale quantities.
Please remind me, how exactly is the West losing again?
Please remind me, how exactly is the West losing again?
Probably watches RT 24/7 or so. But still, the disinfo person got 5 upvotes for that comment^^
Probably watches RT 24/7 or so
You libs are always so confident of your stereotypes. RT’s coverage rarely interests me. Any honest map maker knows the direction this conflict is going
Yeah, because maps surely do tell us how well a war is going…
Dirt isn’t what determines victory or defeat in a war. It never has. It’s whoever has to stop fighting first. Russia is losing their ability to refine oil, and their citizens are being made to get by without gas for their cars, as one example where Russia is struggling. Not to mention all the dead and their inability to field vehicles larger than a motorcycle for the most part now.
(Also, if we’re using taking ground as a measure, Russia is moving literally slower than a snail’s pace. IIRC a snail would have crossed Ukraine by now. Russia, at their average pace, would take another few decades, and they’ve been gaining very little ground recently —in fact, they’ve lost a not-insignificant amount recently too.)
Tell me you have no idea about what’s going on with the front line without actually saying it…
City after city, field after field, the Ukrainians contest impossible encircled positions, taking huge losses. It will be the same in this next batch of cities unless the Ukrainians can pull their head out of their ass and actually have strategic vision.
If you want to actually know what’s going on, here are two solid neutral mappers to watch:
Russia is losing their ability to refine oil, and their citizens are being made to get by without gas for their cars, as one example where Russia is struggling.
Do westerners really believe this? The Ukrainians do some damage to one refinery and suddenly the world’s commodity superpower is struggling to fuel its vehicles?
Not to mention all the dead
Are you actually believing the Russian casualty figures put out by the Ukrainians? Objective evidence suggests that the casualty numbers are actually reversed, or in other words that the Ukrainians are reporting their own casualties as Russians.
and their inability to field vehicles larger than a motorcycle for the most part now.
“For the most part” doing lots of heavy lifting here. Motorcycle units / DRGs are just more evidence that we are in a new phase of the war. The Ukrainian lines are so porous that these tactics have proven effective in weakening the Ukrainian rear (logistics, fpv nests etc)
If we’re using taking ground as a measure
The Russian objective is the strategic defeat of the Ukrainian military. The primary measure is attrition. If the Ukrainians stopped defending encircled cities, then the encirclement of major cities would have less of a bearing on attrition, but that’s not the world we live in.
Literally in every way? The economic and industrial war has had a laughably lopsided result. Ukraine’s manpower shortage keeps getting worse and worse. They have committed their “last stand” Azov reserves to the Pokrovsk breakout and barely made a dent. Lyman, Pokrovsk, Konstantinivka, and even Kramatorsk are being slowly surrounded and choked off.
Surely you have seen how desperate the West is to freeze the conflict and how calmly determined the Russians are by comparison?
Nothing shows russkies’ military might as well as cripples taking front line on donkeys
If that’s true, what does that say about the Ukrainian unit strength?
Why does that qualify as winning? Taking some land is not winning, just look at WW2. Also, nothing points at “Russia can keep this going while Ukraine can not”. Russia is running out of tanks etc. Personnel are old man they recruit is some shit hole, the jails are already empty. Economy is massively suffering and now they keep losing more and more of their refineries, which is their main source of income.
The industrial war is lopsided? So… why are they using e-scooters now at the front? After beach buggies after cars after trucks after IFVs? They loose everything without Ukraines allies switching to a war time economy.
At the rate they advance they have Ukraine in 1000 years, so even if we disregard our knowledge that taking land is not the same as winning a war, how are these tiny gains relevant?
Where is the West desperate? How? Do you mean Trump? I hope not. That would be like saying Russia attacks because they want to denazify Ukraine, so I hope that is not the case.
They loose everything without Ukraines allies switching to a war time economy.
The most insane part of their comment: “The West is losing”, when only one party of “The West” is actually fighting.
Ukraine is fighting with the support of others. It’s not all of them fighting the war.
If you go there, Russia has been attacking The West for many years, through hybrid warfare. Yet, The West remains collected and relatively stable, without resorting to aggression. Their countermeasures are defensive by nature, yet cause disruption deep into Russia anyway.
The disparity is baffling.
Coming back to the original claim of the commenter, the most influence is on other nations like China, the USA, and EU. They indirectly dictate how the war will develop. When looking at prognosis, any look into the current state and development is arbitrary when a single external factor would change everything.
Why does that qualify as winning? Taking some land is not winning, just look at WW2
Yes, the Russians have said from the beginning that their aim is to demilitarize Ukraine, which in practice means grinding down their military in a war of attrition. That is why I mentioned the manpower shortage first. Everyone honest admits that all of the Ukrainian units are running at a fraction of full strength. Since the Russian’s main aim isn’t to take land yet they are anyways, it is a sign that the final collapse of the Ukrainian military is underway. Another thing that everyone who is honest admits is that the top Ukrainian command has been continuously overextending and taking huge losses defending encircled positions.
Russia is running out of tanks etc. Personnel are old man they recruit is some shit hole, the jails are already empty. Economy is massively suffering and now they keep losing more and more of their refineries, which is their main source of income.
This is 1000% Western cope. The Russians have been able to replace their losses and even stand up new units over the course of the war. The Ukrainians are constantly having to merge two battered units into one (still well below full strength). Are you watching the war footage (from both sides) or just reading the Western press? The Russians are consistently fielding at least 10x the number of armored vehicles. Seen any artillery strikes from the Ukrainians lately? The shortage of artillery pieces and rounds is so acute, the rumor is that they have pulled all their artillery to the west bank of the Dnipro. The Ukrainians don’t even have glide bombs at all. The combination of these three factors means that the Ukrainians are powerless to take any fortified positions. All they can do is to target vehicles and troops in the open with FPV and bomber drones.
The industrial war is lopsided? So… why are they using e-scooters now at the front? After beach buggies after cars after trucks after IFVs? They loose everything without Ukraines allies switching to a war time economy.
I don’t even really understand the argument being made here but are you looking at the numbers? Russia has been outgrowing every country in the West for the entire duration of this war. The western backers are economically exhausted and on the brink of collapse. Russia has a debt to GDP ratio below 20%, one of the lowest in the world. By contrast, long bonds in all the western economies are approaching highs not seen in decades.
On the industrial side, do you remember that the Russians are producing three times more artillery shills than all of the West put together?
At the rate they advance they have Ukraine in 1000 years, so even if we disregard our knowledge that taking land is not the same as winning a war, how are these tiny gains relevant?
This argument is just silly in the extreme. Even pro-Ukrainian sources reject it. War is non-linear. Also, the point of the encirclement isn’t the land gains in themselves, it’s the attrition. To really bring the absurdity home, the basic argument isn’t even true anymore. Large swaths of Konstantinivka and Pokrovsk are already under Russian control or are grey zones. Their logistic links are already endangered from long range drones. We are about to watch another Bakmut or Adiivka unless the Ukrainians immediately change their foolish strategy and withdraw before they are completely encircled.
Where is the West desperate? How? Do you mean Trump? I hope not. That would be like saying Russia attacks because they want to denazify Ukraine, so I hope that is not the case.
LOL I was referring to these fucking jokes like Starmer, Merz and Macron running around having summits with themselves, making a bunch of screeching noise in the press while being fantastically unpopular at home and presiding over governments and economies on the brink of collapse.
denazify Ukraine
You know for me, when I see a country which had a far-right coup, hero worships notorious Nazi Stephan Banderra, and can’t seem to help themselves from slipping Nazi symbolism into many of their unit insignia… Sounds like a Nazi regime to me. Of course the West has a long history of looking the other way with regard to Nazi sympathizers in order to advance their geostrategic objectives
Holy shit, no way am I going to waste even more time when you throw more, even absurder nonsense at me.
Are you just going to slink away in defeat or do you dare to actually point out which of my arguments you consider flawed?
The azov intervention near Pokrovsk was to stop a push, which was stopped. Russia just yesterday (attempted to) launched an attack to reach the soldiers who were cut off, losing over 100 more soldiers and a ton of armored vehicles, which they’ve hardly been using recently because they’re running out. Yeah, I think they did fine. Who cares about the dirt. It’s about the resources to keep fighting. Do note, Ukraine hasn’t lowered the age of conscription yet, which they can still do if it were actually required.
Lyman, Pokrovsk, Konstantinivka, and even Kramatorsk are being slowly surrounded and choked off.
Slowly is the key here. So slow it might as well not be happening. It’s been what, an entire year where Pokrovsk has been “surrounded” and Russia still can’t make any more progress?
The purpose of the Azov intervention was to completely close the breakout and thus restore the last line of defense in Donetsk. This has absolutely not happened. Also, do you understand how desperate you have to be to fully commit the “imperial guard”? With their best reserve units committed, Ukrainians have no strategic flexibility.
Russia just yesterday (attempted to) launched an attack to reach the soldiers who were cut off, losing over 100 more soldiers and a ton of armored vehicles,
Where in the front did this happen? I’m not saying it didn’t, but it doesn’t line up with anything I have heard for a long time.
Slowly is the key here. So slow it might as well not be happening. It’s been what, an entire year where Pokrovsk has been “surrounded” and Russia still can’t make any more progress?
Every one of those cities is being encircled by 20-50 additional km^2 every week. The Ukrainians are powerless to push back the pincers. Once again, the Russian goal is attrition not territory. Territory is a side effect but also a multiplier. Ukrainian logistic losses will be proportional to the number of supported troops and the length of vulnerable roadway.
You know the Russians have resorted to using untrained North Korean soldiers?
Untrained according to whom? Clearly they managed to turn back the Kursk offensive
Stupid Yuri. Shouldn’t you be digging a fresh latrine pit for babushka? The old one is full and Tiny Pootin the Inadequate, needs it to recruit more of you orcs from…
Do you think anyone else notices the frothing hatred behind this comment?
It’s only hatred for fucking murderous, peasant russian orcs serving Pootang the Tiny. That’s only natural, and shouldn’t count as hatred. Any other emotion towards that scum, would just be stupid and wasted.
All the lies and the hate are costing the West everything. No one will say our downfall was undeserved
Fuck off, you scum sucking ruzzian pig! Burn in hell with your ancestors!
Stay classy,
.world
the frothing hatred behind this comment?
Ehm, dude your own remarks are full of denial and diversion. Look in the mirror before “playing the victim” and acting surprised, right? You reap what you sow.
Then somebody should point out the denial and diversion and explain what is correct. Denial shouldn’t be a justification for insults.
I agree, but he made the initial claim, so all the burden of proof is on him. Do not let people make wild claims and then let them off the hook to actually prove it. Or in other words: If you let people do that, you end up with Trump, as countering all the bullshit talked FAR too long.
I also agree, but effectively he is claiming that the West must be losing since they fall back to using chemical weapons propaganda. So the article is the proof.
I do not understand. How is one proof of the other? Did you read his comment?
In today’s lesson, we will learn about the difference between hating the US propaganda machine and having cultural/ethnic hatred for the Russian people
