On Tuesday, October 8, the British government imposed sanctions against the Russian military for the use of chemical weapons against Ukraine, Suspilne reports.
This is stated in a government statement.
The report states that Russian troops have openly admitted that they used dangerous chemical weapons on the battlefield. This refers to the use of chloropicrin on the battlefield, a substance that the International Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) classifies as a chemical weapon.
The sanctions list includes:
- The Radiochemical and Biological Defense Troops of the Russian Defense Ministry;
- Chief of the RF Ministry of Defense’s Radiochemical and Biological Defense Troops Igor Kirillov. He is accused of involvement in the use of chemical weapons and in spreading disinformation;
- 27th Research Center of the Russian Defense Ministry;
- 33rd Central Research and Testing Institute of the Russian Defense Ministry.
It is noted that both scientific institutions are involved in the development and deployment of chemical weapons “for use on the front line”.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said that London will not “sit idly by while Putin and his mafia state” grossly violate international law, including the Chemical Weapons Convention.
I have made it my personal mission to challenge this malign activity and I will not back down. Russia’s brutal and inhumane tactics on the battlefield are abhorrent, and I will use the full arsenal of authority at my disposal to combat Russia’s criminal activities. I want to emphasize: Putin and those who do his bidding have nowhere else to hide, – he said.
David Lammy noted that Britain will continue to use sanctions to counter the Kremlin’s attempts to “sow fear, division and chaos”.
Defense Secretary John Healey also said that Putin and his regime cannot violate international law without facing consequences.
