The war that Russia has launched against Ukraine has long since crossed the boundaries not only of morality, but also of the norms of conventional warfare. The world is accustomed to seeing the consequences of missile and artillery strikes, but there is another, less noticeable, but no less dangerous dimension to this aggression. This is the systematic use of chemical substances for military purposes by Russia – a practice that has all the hallmarks of a prohibited method of warfare.
As a representative of a state that is fighting for its survival, while at the same time unwaveringly adhering to international law, I consider it necessary to draw the attention of the Montenegrin public to a series of frightening facts that Moscow is trying to hide behind a curtain of disinformation.
The times when the use of chemical substances could be attributed to “excesses of the perpetrators” or individual violations are over. Available data testify to the systemic nature of such actions. In the last three years alone, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has recorded 12.016 cases of the use of ammunition equipped with dangerous chemical substances by Russian troops.
The arsenal used is diverse: from industrially produced K-51 and RG-Vo grenades to improvised explosive devices. These include substances with tear gas and irritant effects – in particular chloroacetophenone (CN) and chlorobenzalmalononitrile (CS) – as well as toxic industrial chemicals, the use of which for military purposes is prohibited under the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Of particular concern is the evolution of delivery vehicles. In 2024 and 2025, the Russian side began to massively use modernized unmanned aerial vehicles of the Molniya-2 type, capable of carrying gas grenades at distances of up to 40–80 kilometers. This means that not only soldiers on the front line are at risk of poisoning, but also the civilian population in towns and villages near the front.
The most cynical way of using these weapons is that chemical substances are not used as a stand-alone means of destruction, but as an element of combined tactics.
The Ukrainian side has come into possession of Russian methodological materials that describe in detail the scheme of using gas grenades to create unbearable conditions in shelters and dugouts. The goal of such actions is to force Ukrainian soldiers to leave protected positions and go out into the cleared area under intense artillery fire. These documents record examples of the use of such tactics against specific Ukrainian units, including the 10th separate mountain assault brigade.
Such actions are a direct violation not only of the letter but also of the spirit of the Chemical Weapons Convention and of the fundamental norms of international humanitarian law. The use of chemical substances in war is not an improvisation on the battlefield. There is an organized supply system behind it.
According to the data available to Ukraine, specific units of the RF Armed Forces and security structures are involved in the use of these means, including parts of the naval infantry, units of the Rosgvardia and the motorized rifle brigade. At the same time, the question of the origin of this ammunition is crucial. Traces of production lead to enterprises in the Moscow region, specifically to the Scientific Research Institute of Applied Chemistry in Sergiev Posad, where the corresponding grenades and chemical components are produced. Some parts are delivered from other regions of Russia. This testifies to the completely centralized and controlled nature of the supply.
Aware of the gravity of its own violations, Moscow traditionally tries to shift responsibility to the victim. Russian propaganda regularly spreads unfounded claims about the alleged preparation of chemical attacks by Ukraine. These statements are not supported by any verified facts, are based on staged materials of dubious quality and have a single goal - to divert the attention of the international community from the real actions of the Russian Federation.
Ukraine consistently declares and confirms: it does not possess chemical weapons, does not develop them and strictly adheres to all international obligations. There are no ammunition with toxic chemical substances in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Our struggle is the realization of the inalienable right to self-defense in accordance with the UN Charter and is conducted within the framework of international law. Violations by Russia are no longer a matter of speculation. They are recorded in the reports of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), published in November 2024, as well as in February and June 2025. That is why the Russian Federation has not been elected to the OPCW Executive Council for the third year in a row - the international community cannot trust a state that systematically undermines the global regime of non-proliferation and prohibition of weapons of mass destruction.
The chemical attacks in eastern Ukraine may seem geographically far from the Adriatic coast. However, impunity for serious violations of international law inevitably breaks down all borders. If the world accepts that one state can violate conventions prohibiting the use of weapons of mass destruction without consequences, it will set a dangerous precedent for everyone.
Ukraine remains committed to cooperation with the OPCW and international partners. At the same time, stopping this type of aggression is possible only with a clear, united and principled position of all states that share the values of international law. Protecting Ukraine in this case also means defending the very foundations of security and humanity in the modern world. The author is the ambassador of Ukraine in Montenegro
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