Dutch intelligence services: Russians use chemical weapons in Ukraine on a large scale

In the war in Ukraine, Russian troops use chemical weapons on an increasingly large scale, commissioned by the army top in Moscow. Dutch intelligence services have intercepted military instructions that show that the use of chemical agents on the battlefield is now ‘the order of the day’ with the Russian armed forces.

That is what outgoing minister Ruben Brekelmans (Defense, VVD) and the director of the Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD), vice-admiral Peter Reesink, say in an interview with NRC. Brekelmans sent a letter about the Dutch findings to the Lower House on Friday morning.

Since the raid in Ukraine in 2022, according to KYIV, Russia has deployed forbidden forbidden forbidden means. This is not just about tear gas, but especially about chlorine picrine, a toxic substance that is forbidden according to the international Convention Chemical Weapons (CWC). That 1993 Convention was signed by 198 countries, including Russia. Chlorine picrine is used to drive Ukrainian soldiers out of their trenches so that they can be attacked.

“Horrible” and “unacceptable,” says Brekelmans about the Russian practices at the front. “We see that Russia is willing to ignore all international standards.”

Dangerous for people

Trichloornitromethane or chlorine picrine was already used by the German army in the First World War, as one of the first chemical weapons to be deployed in wartime. The toxic substance, which is also used as a soil disinfectant in agriculture, is dangerous for people in high concentrations. It causes, among other things, serious irritations in eyes, skin and respiratory tract and can lead to dizziness, vomiting tendencies, diarrhea and breathing problems. Because the drug also has civil applications, chlorine picrine is on ‘List 3’ of the Convention against Chemical Weapons. This means that large -scale production of the substance falls under the inspection regime of the organization for the ban on chemical weapons (OPCW). The use thereof during military operations is explicitly prohibited.

The Ukrainian government has been mentioning the use of forbidden forestmates for some time; Last year, the US government also accused Moscow of the use of chlorine picrine. The Dutch Intelligence Services AIVD and MIVD can now confirm its deployment, says Minister Brekelmans. “The fact that we see those instructions means that the use of these resources has become part of their modus operandi,” says MIVD chef Reesink.

The Dutch services have collaborated with partner services in their research, including the German Bundesnachstichrijdienst (BND). Reesink does not want to comment on the origin of the information.

Three dead, 2,500 injured

According to Minister Brekelmans, the OPCW in The Hague has now received 9,400 reports from the Ukrainian authorities about the use of forbidden struggle. Three Ukrainian soldiers died as a result of contact with chlorine picrine, 2,500 others had to be treated in the hospital with poisoning symptoms.

The number of ‘indirect’ killing is probably much higher, says Brekelmans. By using the poison, soldiers are driven out of their hiding places, after which they can be killed with conventional ammunition. The fertilizers are mainly thrown from small cameradrones above the front lines.

The use of chlorine picrine is supported and facilitated by the Russian radiological, chemical and biological (RBC) troops that specialize in chemical warfare. According to MIVD chef Reesink, it is clear that the commitment is sanctioned by the military command in Moscow.

Sliding scale

For the time being, Dutch services have no indications that nerve gases are being used, which are already deadly in very small doses. However, Brekelmans and Reesink warn of a “sliding scale”, in which the use of chemical weapons is becoming more and more normal. Where during the start of the war the Russians only use the non-dead tear gas (which is also forbidden), the use of the toxic substance chlorine picrine has now been routine. This can “lower the threshold” for the use of nerve gas, says Reesink. “With the use of chlorine picrine, they have passed the next bridge,” says Brekelmans. According to the minister, this also has consequences for the way in which NATO countries have to prepare for a military confrontation with Russia. “This is not only dangerous for Ukraine, but for the whole world.”

The Ukrainian government has been acting against the Russian deployment of chemical weapons for several years. At the end of last year, the Ukrainian security service SBOE demanded responsibility for the murder attack on the Russian General Igor Kirillov, who was killed on the street in Moscow when a bomb exploded in a parked step. Kyiv accused Kirillov of being responsible as the head of the Russian RBC troops for the use of toxic struggle on the battlefield in Ukraine. The SBOE called him “A war criminal and a legitimate target.”

Zoom in

Destruction Chemical Arsenal

After the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia destroyed most of its giant chemical arsenal. In 2017, the OPCW announced that the full arms stock of nearly 40,000 cubic tonnes had been eliminated.

The following year, when the overlaped spy Sergej Skripal in Salisbury, British, was poisoned with the advanced nerve poison Novichok, however, it turned out that Russia is still developing chemical weapons. In 2020, the Russian opposition leader Aleksej Navalny ended up in Intensive Care after he was poisoned with Novitsjok.

In 2018, the MIVD disturbed an attempt by Russian agents of the military intelligence service to break into the Wi-Fi network of the OPCW from a parking lot of the adjacent Marriott-Hotel, at a time when the OPCW investigated the effort of Chemical Weapons by the then Syrian Dictator Assad-Assad-Assad-Assad-Assad-Assad-Assad-Assad-Assad-Assad-Assad-Assad.

Moscow wants to be in OPCW Council

Nevertheless, Russia has tried – in vain – to become a member of the Executive Council of the OPCW over the past two years. According to Brekelmans, it is one of the reasons to come out now with the information that Russia violates the treaty against chemical weapons on a large scale. “Russia cannot become a member of the Executive Council. A country with an active program for chemical weapons, which increases the use of chemical weapons in Ukraine.”

The Dutch unveiling about the frequent use of chemical weapons comes at a time when Ukraine is struggling with rapidly rising ammunition shortages. This week, the US Department of Defense announced that the delivery of certain ammunition, including rockets for Patriot airfly aircraft systems, will be stopped due to declining weapons stocks in the US itself. The consequence of this is that Ukrainian forces have fewer means to defend themselves against Russian attacks with drones and missiles, while Moscow fires projectiles on the Ukrainian cities almost every week.

Brekelmans notes a global scarcity when it comes to patriot systems. “We also encounter that in the Netherlands.” This is partly due to the production capacity that is insufficient internationally. “So that has to go up enormously and be accelerated,” says Brekelmans. “We are now looking at what type of air defense we can still deliver. We announced last week that we are sending a hundred radar systems that are meant to detect drones. We will continue to encourage the Americans to deliver certain things. And we will constantly look at what we can deliver ourselves as soon as we can miss something.

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