DONETSK, March 2. /TASS/. The Ukrainian military used chemical munitions near Artyomovsk and Donetsk in recent days, Yan Gagin, an advisor to the leader of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), told TASS on Thursday.
"(Ukrainian forces - TASS) have been reported using munitions with chemical components in several locations at once," Gagin said. Specifically, prohibited weapons were used in the Donetsk and Artyomovsk directions, he added.
On February 10, acting DPR leader Denis Pushilin said that reports about the use of chemical weapons by the Ukrainians had intensified across the frontline. The latest incidents, he said, were registered near Artyomovsk, Mayorsk, and Ugledar. According to Pushilin, the people exposed to the chemicals developed irritation of the mucous membrane, a cough, and felt general malaise.
Gagin told TASS earlier that Ukrainian forces had used chemical weapons along the Soledar and Artyomovsk frontlines on February 5. He added that Ukrainian troops themselves made no secret that they had banned weapons on them, as they had been sporadically posting videos showing foreign-made gas grenades and drones designed for dropping them.