Russia denies using chemical weapons in Ukraine
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Leadership
Russia rejects Ukrainian allegations that its forces used chemical substances against Ukrainian soldiers, following the publication of figures reporting 14,009 incidents since February 2023. The Russian Embassy in Nigeria disputes the data and cites inconsistencies, Leadership reports.
The Russian Embassy in Abuja rejected on Sunday, 1 November, Ukrainian allegations that Russian forces had used chemical substances against Ukrainian soldiers. In a statement, the Russian mission called the accusations politically motivated and disputed the figures cited by Kyiv, Leadership reports.
Ukraine’s ambassador to Nigeria, Ivan Kholostenko, had reported 14,009 incidents involving chemical substances between February 2023 and September 2026, as well as 6,021 medical treatments for soldiers showing symptoms of exposure. The Russian mission countered with the 3,632 cases of symptoms of chemical injuries presented on 8 October 2026 by Andriy Kostin, Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
Moscow says riot-control agents have not been supplied to its armed forces and are not part of their combat tactics. The embassy also recalled that Russia completed the verified destruction of its declared chemical arsenal in 2017, under the supervision of the OPCW Technical Secretariat. It in turn accuses Ukrainian forces of using toxic substances and says it has submitted laboratory analyses, photographs of recovered munitions and other evidence to the organisation.
