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The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
said that the accusations were "insufficiently substantiated"
but added that "the situation remains volatile and extremely
concerning regarding the possible re-emergence of use of toxic
chemicals as weapons."
Last week, the U.S. said Russia had violated the international
chemical weapons ban overseen by the OPCW by deploying the
choking agent chloropicrin against Ukrainian troops and using
riot control agents "as a method of warfare" in Ukraine.
Russia denied the allegations.
The OPCW said it had been monitoring the situation since
February 2022, when Moscow invaded Ukraine.
Under the Chemical Weapons Convention, any toxic chemical used
with the purpose to cause harm or death, is considered a
chemical weapon.
"It is against the Convention to use riot control agents at war
on the battlefield. If used as a method of warfare, these agents
are considered chemical weapons and, hence, are prohibited under
the Convention," the OPCW said.
(Reporting by Anthony Deutsch, Editing by William Maclean)
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