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Ukrainian radicals plotted to use toxic chemicals to stage provocations — Russia’s MFA

The objective of such actions is to accuse Russia of the use of chemical weapons against the civil population and violating its obligations, the ministry pointed out

MOSCOW, March 11. /TASS/. Ukrainian radicals developed several scenarios with the assistance of US intelligence agencies of using toxic chemicals to stage provocations and blame them on Moscow, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a national document circulated in the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the United Nations Security Council. The document, entitled Regarding Potential Chemical Provocations in Ukraine, was published on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website on Friday.

"Radical Ukrainian groups under the control of the representatives of American special services have prepared several potential scenarios of the use of toxic chemicals in order to carry out various types of provocations. The objective of such actions is to accuse Russia of the use of chemical weapons against the civil population and violating its obligations, including those under the Chemical Weapons Convention," the statement reads.

"One of the prepared variants is a diversion at one of the Ukrainian companies in the chemical industry involving the destruction of large-volume containers holding industrial chemicals," the document said, adding that a mine was planned to be planted on ammonium tanks at the Private Joint Stock Company Azot in the city of Severodonetsk and the Public Joint Stock Company Odessa Port Plant in the city of Odessa.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, "another scenario involves the destruction of containers with toxic chemicals in highly populated areas." In particular, it has been reliably established that on December 8-9, 2021, Ukrainian radicals delivered 200-liter metal barrels with foreign markings to the Donetsk region. "As they were being unloaded, four Ukrainian soldiers received severe chemical burns and poisoning. The general coordination of the delivery and warehousing of hazardous freight was carried out by the staff of the private American military contractor Forward Observation Group (based in the state of Nevada)," the ministry added.

Despite Russia’s warnings, "the Ukrainian side did not back out of this type of terrorist attack. In particular, on the night of March 9, 2022, in the settlement of Zolochev, northwest of Kharkov, Ukrainian nationalists brought in 80 tonnes of ammonium." "According to the information coming directly from the site of the events, radicals are instructing the civil population on what to do in a chemical contamination zone," the document added.

"We are informing the States Parties to the Convention that such arrangements indubitably point to preparations for the use of toxic chemicals. In light of the propaganda campaign under way in Western countries, there is no doubt that the provocations being planned are meant to accuse Russia of the use of chemical weapons. In this regard, the risks are growing of extremist-inclined elements acting as part of so-called national battalions that may be set on taking radical steps, the horrific consequences of which are impossible to predict," the Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized.