Used chemical weapons 4,800 times since the invasion • Sent a clear message to Putin
Russian Colonel General Igor Kirillov was the supreme commander of Russia’s radiological, chemical and biological defenses.
That he was killed in an explosion outside a residential building in Moscow yesterday was no coincidence.
Kirillov is subject to sanctions by Great Britain and as recently as yesterday he was charged in Ukraine with war crimes. According to several sources of international media, it was the security service of Ukraine that killed Kirillov.
– Kirillov was a war criminal and a completely legitimate target, because he gave the order to use prohibited chemical weapons against the Ukrainian military, a security source told the Kyiv Independent newspaper.
It was in the muddy trenches of World War I that chemical warfare agents first began to be used on a large scale in war. Both sides used poisonous gases such as chlorine gas, mustard gas and tear gas to knock out enemy soldiers. Today, the Geneva Convention prohibits the use of poison gas in war. But that has not stopped Russia from using chemical weapons in Ukraine.
Used chemical weapons 4,800 times since the invasion
According to Ukrainian security services, Russia has used chemical weapons on 4,800 occasions since the full-scale invasion began. Especially at the front in Donbass, Russian forces will use drones to drop tear gas directly into the Ukrainian trenches with great precision. The gas is not directly lethal, but in confined spaces it is an effective weapon.
– Everything is on fire, says the 42-year-old infantry soldier Vladyslav Piholenko to the Kyiv Independent. The skin burns, the nose, throat, eyes and lungs burn.
Other soldiers say that the worst part is that there are often several tear gas grenades in a row, which creates panic. Soldiers in Vuhledar say they agreed to put their weapons in a pile at the exit and lie down on the ground to avoid anyone shooting themselves or running away. Anyone who leaves the trench becomes an easy target for Russian shelling.
Sent a clear message to Putin
Over 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been hospitalized and three have died as a result of the gas attacks. Officers testify that Russia’s tactics were effective; Russia has been able to take positions without destroying them. It is believed to have contributed to Russia’s recent successes on the battlefield..
Russia now accuses Ukraine of terrorism. Ukraine has not officially claimed responsibility for the bombing that killed Kirillov. But someone has sent a clear message to Vladimir Putin that whoever orders the use of banned chemical weapons should not get away.