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Ukraine used chemical and biological munition fired by drones, the Russian Ministry of Defense claims, without providing any evidence in this respect. The false narrative was picked up by the Russian media, which is involved in an effort designed to secure public support for the so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine.
NEWS: The Russian Ministry of Defense announced there has been a chemical attack targeting positions held by the Russian troops in Ukraine. The attack was carried out by a drone, the head of the Radiological, Chemical and Biological Protection (RCBZ) Troops with the Russian Ministry of Defense, Lieutenant-General Igor Kirillov, has said. The Russian official said the Ukrainian Armed Forces used drones to drop vials that would release toxic substances in the event of an explosion.
The contents of these vials are being examined at Laboratory 27 of the Russian Ministry of Defense Science Center, which is accredited by Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
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On March 9, Kirillov announced 9 that the espionage divisions of the Russian Armed Forces discovered three drones in the Kherson Region, all equipped with 30 liters of lethal substances and spraying mechanisms. The head of the Radiological, Chemical and Biological Protection Troops claims that in January, 2022 the Ukrainian Armed Forces purchased 50 such drones that can be used to launch chemical and biological attacks.
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“Therefore, in an attempt to discredit the special military operation of the Russian armed forces, the regime in Kyiv, acting on orders from the American administration, might soon put in action a strategy that would cause the death of tens of thousands of Ukrainian citizens, as well as an ecological and humanitarian catastrophe”, the Russian general pointed out.
NARRATIVE: Ukraine is using chemical and biological weapons to attack Russian-held positions, which will kill tens of thousands of Ukrainian citizens.
WHY THE NARRATIVE IS FALSE: Russia presented no clear evidence when it accused Ukraine of allegedly using chemical or biological weapons. Moreover, according to the press release made public by the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Russian General spoke about a possible attack and the risk Ukraine could use chemical and biological weapons in the future, whereas the Russian media headlines suggest these attacks have already taken place.
The statement of Lieutenant-General Igor Kirillov doesn’t prove that Ukraine has an arsenal of chemical or biological weapons, or that such attacks have taken place.
The drones equipped with sprayers which Russia discovered in Kherson, and which the Russian media has mentioned before, are not equipped with chemical or biological weapons, but rather are used in agriculture. The southern oblasts of Kherson, Odessa and Mykolaiv are known for their important farmlands, and the Agras T30 drones are used in monitoring the crops and for spraying pesticides. Such drones are also used on the territory of Romania, and videos about how they work are available on YouTube.
Therefore, the Russian state media and the Ministry of Defense have presented an agricultural drone in southern Ukraine as being used in chemical and biological attacks. Moreover, this false narrative overlaps with others debunked by Veridica, according to which the Russian army identified and destroyed 13 bioweapon labs in Ukraine. According to these false narratives, Russia is thus forced to bomb Ukrainian cities in order “to save mankind”.
In fact, Ukraine was the one that expressed concerns on countless occasions that its armed forces might be the target of attacks using weapons of mass destruction. The US representative to the OSCE said Russia already used chemical weapons in Mariupol. US diplomat Michael R. Carpenter said Ukraine and OSCE experts will have to collect evidence from Donbas attesting to the use of chemical weapons against the defenders of Mariupol, which represents a war crime.
The day Michael R. Carpenter said Russia used bioweapons in Ukraine, Moscow used the media outlets it controls to spread the false idea that Kyiv authorities are threatening the civilian population with the use of chemical and biological weapons.
OFFICIAL REACTIONS: The Center for Combating Disinformation with the National Security and Defense Council in Kyiv described the statement of the Russian Defense Ministry official as false.
“These messages are part of the information and psychological warfare conducted by the Russian Federation, which is designed to spread panic at the level of Ukrainian society and put pressure on the international community to reduce their support for Ukraine”, the Center for Combating Disinformation reacted.
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