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OPCW fails to respond to Russia’s warning of possible chemical provocations in LPR — envoy

Western nations in the OPCW are unwilling to listen to the voice of reason as they keep making accusations against Russia, Russian Permanent Representative to the OPCW Alexander Shulgin pointed out

MOSCOW, June 24. /TASS/. Moscow has repeatedly drawn the attention of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to possible chemical provocations in the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) but received no response, Russian Permanent Representative to the OPCW Alexander Shulgin told the Rossiya-24 TV channel on Friday.

According to him, Moscow regularly informs the OPCW Technical Secretariat and other members of the Chemical Weapons Convention of Ukrainian nationalists’ preparations to stage chemical provocations.

"We drew their attention to the fact that containers with ammonium nitrate and nitric acid were being booby-trapped at the Azot plant in Severodonetsk in order to cause an industrial disaster and put the blame on Russia," Shulgin pointed out. "We also highlighted preparations taking place at other facilities in the so-called chemical industry triangle of Severodonetsk, Lisichansk and Rubezhnoye <…> but unfortunately, Western nations in the OPCW, first of all the Americans, but their allies, too, are unwilling to listen to the voice of reason as they keep making accusations against Russia, claiming that it is us who are getting ready to use chemical weapons," the envoy noted.

Shulgin also expressed concern about "Washington’s Ukrainian subjects" activating Article 10 of the Chemical Weapons Convention (Assistance and Protection Against Chemical Weapons). "We can see the US, the UK and other allies feverishly providing Kiev with antidotes, chemical suits, test tubes and various chemical equipment, encouraging Ukrainian nationalists to stage barbaric chemical provocations," the Russian envoy noted.

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