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Russian envoy suggests Kiev may use provocation as smokescreen for military shortcomings

The diplomat suggested a scenario with Ukraine spreading a chemical substance, putting the blame on Russia and hyping it up in the media

MOSCOW, July 17. /TASS/. The Kiev regime stands ready to carry out any acts of provocation, particularly using chemical weapons, in a bid to divert attention from its failures on the battlefield, Vladimir Tarabrin, Russian permanent representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and ambassador to the Netherlands, told Rossiya-24 television.

"In order to divert attention from its failures on the battlefield, the Kiev regime is ready to carry out any acts of provocation and commit any crimes. <...> We are well aware that the main goal of the collective West - and the West does not try to hide this - is to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia. Any means will do to achieve this goal. The West believes that it would be nice to stage an incident involving weapons of mass destruction, and those include chemical weapons," he pointed out.

The diplomat suggested a scenario with Ukraine spreading a chemical substance, putting the blame on Russia and hyping it up in the media. Meanwhile, such acts of provocation are usually carried out with the support and direct participation of Western countries, he noted. "The goal of such provocations is to accuse Russia of violating the Chemical Weapons Convention and allegedly concealing its military chemical activities, and then to promote the issue for as long as it’s possible," Tarabrin added.

The Russian envoy also confirmed reports of Ukraine using chemical weapons. "We regularly provide the OPCW Technical Secretariat with evidence based on data from the Russian Defense Ministry. We also inform it of all cases involving the use and the potential use of chemical weapons by the Kiev regime," he emphasized.

Tarabrin noted that Russia had submitted over 30 notes clarifying the data for the Technical Secretariat to circulate among member states. "Soon, we will provide the Technical Secretariat with even more specific and comprehensive additional information on the matter," the diplomat concluded.