MOSCOW, February 28. /TASS/. The United States reported the complete destruction of the BZ (3-Quinuclidinyl benzilate) chemical stockpile in 1990, but kept its samples and may synthesize its precursors, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, Chief of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Forces of the Russian Armed Forces, said on Tuesday.

"The US declared the complete destruction of its BZ stockpiles back in 1990, when about 50 tons of the substance were destroyed, but they’ve kept the samples. In addition, the possibility of synthesizing BZ precursors on the basis of capacities for the production of pharmaceuticals in the amount of up to several tens of tons per year is currently preserved," Kirillov said at a briefing on the West's preparation of large-scale provocations with the use of toxic chemicals in Ukraine.

He recalled that Western countries regularly made provocative statements about the possible use of weapons of mass destruction by Russia. At the same time, according to Kirillov, the US and its allies have repeatedly used munitions with chemical substances in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.

"In 2017, news agencies circulated photos of White Helmets, showing people in ordinary gauze bandages taking samples at the site of alleged sarin use. This led to a US missile strike on the Shayrat airbase in Syria," Kirillov said. According to him, in 2018, the staged shooting of Syrian children allegedly poisoned by chlorine became the reason for the destruction of the Barzah Scientific Research Facility.

Kirillov stressed that this was not the first time the US had resorted to such projects to achieve its political goals. "A test tube of 'laundry detergent' in the hands of US Secretary of State Colin Powell served as a pretext for the invasion of Iraq and caused the death of more than half a million citizens of that country," he said.

"I would like to remind you that to date, no one has been held accountable for these crimes," Kirillov concluded.