**Russia Uses Chemical Weapons 434 Times in December**
The General Staff of Ukraine‘s Armed Forces reported on January 18 that Russian forces used chemical weapons 434 times in December. This is part of a larger trend of Russia using hazardous chemicals in attacks since February 2023.
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine has been monitoring and recording the use of these chemicals. The military has recorded 5,389 cases of chemical weapon usage since February 2023. Russian forces have used K-51 and RG-VO munitions, which are prohibited for use in warfare. They have also used ammunition loaded with unknown types of hazardous chemicals.
The use of chemical weapons is a serious violation of the rules of warfare. The General Staff noted that these attacks have become systemic since February 2023. Russia’s intensified use of chemical agents on the battlefield has been reported earlier by an investigation from August 2024, which showed rising instances of gas attacks. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) also confirmed in November that a riot control agent had been used in Ukraine.
**Consequences of Russian Actions**
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, more than 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been hospitalized with chemical poisoning, and three have died. Ukrainian Colonel Artem Vlasiuk made this statement on December 13. In response to Russia’s use of illegal chemical weapons, Ukraine struck back by assassinating Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of the Russian Armed Forces’ radiation, chemical, and biological defense troops. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) carried out the assassination on December 17. Ukrainian prosecutors had previously charged Kirillov in absentia for using banned chemical weapons.
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