The US State Department accused Russia of using the chemical weapon chlorpicrin on Ukrainian forces in violation of the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (CWC), reported Reuters and France Press, quoted by BTA.
In addition, Russia uses anti-riot means as a "method of waging war in Ukraine, also in violation of the convention", US diplomacy adds.
"The use of these chemicals was not an isolated incident and was likely motivated by the desire of Russian forces to dislodge Ukrainian forces from entrenched positions and make tactical progress on the battlefield," according to the State Department.
Yesterday, Washington announced a new wave of sanctions targeting Russian and foreign companies and individuals accused of involvement in Russia's military effort to invade Ukraine. In addition to Russian defense companies and Chinese entities, the sanctions also affect several research units and companies involved in Russia's chemical and biological weapons programs.
"Russia's continued neglect of its obligations under the CCP is consistent with the poisoning of Alexei Navalny and Sergei and Yulia Skripal with the Novichok nerve agent, the US State Department emphasizes.
Navalny, a former opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin who died in a Russian prison on February 16, was the victim of severe poisoning, which the Kremlin blamed. Former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia Skripal were poisoned in England in 2018.
Russia says it no longer has a military chemical arsenal, but the country is facing pressure for more transparency about its alleged use of chemical weapons.
According to the National Institutes of Health, chloropicrin is a chemical that was used as a combat poison in World War I as well as a pesticide and causes asphyxiation when inhaled.