Clean trenches: RF is increasingly used by chemical weapons - Reuters

500 Ukrainian servicemen sought medical help after the exposure of toxic substances on the battlefield, and at least one soldier was killed, suffocating with tear gas. Ukrainian servicemen and physicians say that Russia is increasingly illegally using tear gas on the front, despite the fact that it is forbidden to use in battle in accordance with the International Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Reuters writes about it.

According to the Ukrainian military, Russia has intensified the illegal use of tear gas in order to clear the trenches. "It's like a pepper can, his eyes are tearing from him. He is not deadly, but interferes with and knocks out of the track. It is very difficult to perform his duties after you have breathed it," the Ukrainian infantryman said Reuters with a call sign "ray" about the attack which, he said, happened in January.

He specified that the grenade with this gas in the trench was thrown by Russian drone. Acting Chief of Troops of Atomic, Biological and Chemical Protection of Ukraine Serhiy Pakhomov stated that Kyiv recorded about 900 cases of use by Russia by combating mass riots (tear gas) in the last six months. In total, about 1,400 such cases have been recorded since the full -scale Russian invasion of the territory of Ukraine.

"Russia mainly used hand grenades K-51, Voh and Rh -V, charged CS, CN and other gases," Pakhomov said. He said that 500 Ukrainian servicemen sought medical help after the exposure of toxic substances on the battlefield, and at least one soldier died, suffocating with tear gas. Means of combating mass riots, such as tear gas, are banned on the battlefield by the International Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Signed by Russia and Ukraine.

37-year-old Vladimir, a doctor at a medical stabilization point in Donetsk region, told Reuters that recent cases of gas attacks have increased, as he accepts on average two soldiers a week. According to him, they complain of gas poisoning of different colors - colorless, blue or green - and with a strong chemical odor. "Symptoms are similar to irritation . . . It's like tear gas or something like that," the doctor said.

53-year-old Natalia Khovanets, a senior nurse of the medical unit of the Ukrainian army, told Reuters, which provided assistance to soldiers who suffered from grenades with tear gas dumped by Russian drone. "The symptoms we saw: bitterness in our mouth, dizziness . . . These are mild symptoms. It meant that we could handle them on our own," Khovanets said. Civilians can usually escape from tear gas when used to accelerate riots or protests in cities.

But the soldiers who stuck in the trenches without gas masks are forced to either run under the fire of the enemy, or take the risk of gasping for gas. "In addition to demoralization, a person loses physical capacity - he does not see, he cannot breathe, she has everything annoyed. It is temporary, but it is the same moment that the enemy can use to capture one or another position," Pakhomov emphasized.

A representative of the organization of chemical weapons (OPSC), which investigates the probable use of chemicals as weapons, reported Reuters that it did not receive requests for investigation or technical assistance in connection with the probable use of prohibited chemicals in the war. "However, the use of Russian troops to combat mass riots as weapons was widely discussed," Reuters said one of the officials who wished to remain anonymous.

By the way, Moscow also accused Ukrainian forces of using chemical weapons. However, Reuters could not carry out an independent verification of the use of prohibited chemicals by both parties. We will remind, on April 16 in Georgia used against protesters of tear gas. It happened during protests against the "Inaging" bill. The security forces tried to push the protesters from the side entrances to the parliament so that the building of the Government Party "Georgian Dream" leave the building.