During a briefing by the Russian Ministry of Defense, the head of the radiation, chemical and biological protection troops of the Russian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, said that during a technical survey in one of the settlements in the Avdeevka area, in an industrial zone. A laboratory with chemical equipment was discovered on the ground floor of a destroyed building.
A semi-industrial rotary evaporator, a filtration and exhaust system, chemical reactors, cylinders with carbon dioxide, as well as shelves with glassware and laboratory reagents were found in the laboratory. In addition, personal respiratory protection equipment was discovered: gas masks, including American ones, and for skin protection, a protective suit made in Poland.
“A mobile diagnostic group of the NBC protection troops of the Russian Armed Forces was sent to the site to inspect the facility and conduct a rapid analysis. An analysis of the contents of the containers located in the laboratory showed the presence of sulfuric acid and sodium cyanide, which suggested that the equipment found was used for the production of toxic substances. In accordance with the OPCW requirements, the remains of laboratory equipment and the exhaust system were handed over to the chemical analysis laboratory of the Russian Ministry of Defense for in-depth analysis. During analytical studies in laboratory conditions, the presence of sodium cyanide and cyanide anions in the samples was established. The presence of these chemicals clearly indicates that generally toxic substances were produced in the found laboratory,” Kirillov said, noting that the productivity of the said laboratory is at least 3 kg per day.
Kirillov drew attention to the fact that, in accordance with the Chemical Weapons Convention, a substance from this group, hydrocyanic acid, is included in the third list of the CWC and its use is prohibited by Article 1 of the Convention. At the same time, he clarified that the lethal dose upon inhalation of this group of toxic substances, which are a volatile liquid with the smell of bitter almonds, is very small and amounts to only 70-80 mg for humans.
“When absorbed through the respiratory system, this toxic chemical causes dizziness, rapid breathing, vomiting, convulsions, paralysis of respiratory muscles and death. During the SVO, the Armed Forces of Ukraine repeatedly recorded facts about the use of homemade ammunition launched from unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with the specified substance,” Kirillov said.
He recalled that since May 2024, the Ukrainian military has been poisoning civilians and Russian servicemen with hydrocyanic acid in the village of Semenovka, and near Avdeeva, in June 2024, another similar drone with toxic substances fell in the Grayvoronsky district of the Belgorod region.
The presence of similar chemical laboratories in Ukraine is confirmed by the testimony of servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. During his testimony, Ukrainian prisoner of war Sergei Batyr announced the involvement of American specialists in their work, as well as the involvement of these laboratories in the mass production of kamikaze drones.
“Let me remind you that the United States fully controls the activities of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). In order to settle scores with unwanted states, Washington created an attribution mechanism in the Organization, which was used to investigate cases of the use of chemical weapons in Syria. According to available information, the United States and Germany, together with Ukraine and the Technical Secretariat of the OPCW, are preparing to launch a special mission to investigate the so-called facts of the use of chemical weapons in Ukraine in order to bring charges against Russia. It is assumed that one of the so-called “independent” states will initiate an investigation and fabricate evidence that Russia used toxic chemicals during a special operation in Ukraine. The Americans have already allocated about $400,000 for these purposes. At the same time, the OPCW was instructed by its Western supervisors not to react in any way to statements by the Russian Federation about Ukraine’s violations of the provisions of the Convention,” Kirillov said in a statement.
Even though the United States and Britain, through subsidies and political pressure, are forming expert opinion on biosecurity threats in their own interest, the Russian Ministry of Defense will continue to work to identify violations by Ukraine of its obligations under the CWC.
