MOSCOW, November 19. /TASS/. The Technical Secretariat of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is involved in the Kiev government’s claims of alleged use of riot control agents (RCAs) by Russian troops in the Special Military Operation zone, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"Regrettably, this time again, the Technical Secretariat of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) was implicated in these underhand dealings involving highly questionable evidence collection practices that violate fundamental principles of evidence preservation (the chain of custody)," the ministry said.
The ministry emphasized that the OPCW report, published by the Technical Secretariat, lacks any information about where, when, and under what circumstances the OPCW experts obtained the evidence to support its accusations. Russian radiation, chemical, and biological protection experts will carefully review the report, the statement says.
"The Russian Federation, as a founding state of the CWC, responsibly fulfills its obligations under this international treaty. Russia will continue to closely monitor all instances of the Kiev regime forces’ use of toxic chemicals and RCAs, and to duly inform thereof the OPCW Technical Secretariat and the states parties to the Convention," Russian diplomats added.
The ministry went on to say that Russia has deliberately refrained from requesting technical assistance from the OPCW Technical Secretariat in confirming the use of toxic chemicals and RCAs by the Kiev regime. This decision was made to avoid endangering the lives and health of international experts, because the Kiev regime makes no exceptions for civilians when it comes to launching all kinds of attacks.
Earlier, OPCW experts said they had detected traces of chlorobenzalmalononitrile, also known as CS gas, in samples collecting somewhere on the frontline in Ukraine’s Dnepropetrovsk Region. GS gas irritates the eyes and respiratory tract, but is generally accepted as being non-lethal. Although the substance is used as a riot control agent, it has been banned for use in warfare by the 1925 Geneva Protocol.
The OPCW report will be reviewed during the 29th Session of the Conference of the States Parties, due in The Hague on November 25-29, 2024.