US accuses Russia of using chemical weapon in Ukraine

WASHINGTON, May 2: The US State Department accused Russia Wednesday of having used a chemical weapon against Ukrainian forces in violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, while also announcing fresh sanctions against Moscow.
In addition to the chemical agent chloropicrin, Russia also used "riot control agents (tear gas) as a method of warfare in Ukraine, also in violation of the CWC," the department said in a factsheet.
"The use of such chemicals is not an isolated incident, and is probably driven by Russian forces desire to dislodge Ukrainian forces from fortified positions and achieve tactical gains on the battlefield," the State Department said.
Meanwhile the US Treasury Department announced sweeping sanctions aimed at crippling Russias military and industrial capabilities -- including targeting nearly 300 entities in Russia, China and other countries accused of supporting President Vladimir Putins invasion.
The sanctions are meant to punish companies that help Moscow acquire weapons for its war in Ukraine. They also target Russian government entities and companies involved in the countrys chemical and biological weapons programs.Russia has said it no longer possesses a military chemical arsenal, but the country faces pressure for more transparency over the alleged use of toxic weapons. According to the US National Institutes of Health, the chemical chloropicrin is used both as a warfare agent and pesticide. If inhaled, it poses a health risk.
"Todays actions will further disrupt and degrade Russias war efforts by going after its military industrial base and the evasion networks that help supply it," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement.
The accusations and sanctions come a week after US President Joe Biden signed a much-delayed bill to provide new funding for Ukraine as Kyivs military struggles to hold back Russian advances.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin on Thursday rejected allegations by the United States that Russian forces had used a "chemical weapon" in Ukraine and blasted new sanctions targeting Moscows key trading partners.
The US State Department said Wednesday that Russia used "the chemical weapon chloropicrin" against Ukrainian forces.
"As always, such accusations sound completely baseless and unsubstantiated," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about the claims.
The US said that Moscow had violated the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
Chloropicrin is an oily substance known as a choking agent that was widely used during World War I as a form of tear gas.    —AFP