MOSCOW, October 7. /TASS/. Kiev has been trying to simplify the national legislation in the field of chemical substances control for the past few years, Chief of Russia’s Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Troops Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov said.

"During the past few years Kiev has been trying to ease the national legislation in the field of chemical control. Back in 2022, Ukrainian state agencies proposed simplifying the process for obtaining permits to work with chlorine or even removing it from state control entirely," he said.

The official noted that chlorine is used in the production of toxic chemicals, and its uncontrolled circulation would enable Kiev to use it for unlawful purposes.

According to Kirillov, reports regarding Ukraine's purchases of toxic chemicals listed under the Chemical Weapons Convention, coupled with the silence of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on these matters, raise further concerns about the supply of triethanolamine to Kiev. Triethanolamine is a compound used in the production of nitrogen mustard. The Ukrainian companies Reagent and Realab are the primary purchasers of this chemical in Ukraine.

In July 2024 alone, Reagent purchased over 160 tons of triethanolamine. However, no public information is available regarding the intended purposes for this purchase. Ukraine has also not disclosed any details about this in its annual reports to the OPCW.