New step towards escalation: Russian troops deploy combat poison on battlefield

He discussed this on Espreso TV.

"Lewisite is a combat poison. There were confirmed cases of its use last year. It causes skin irritation and severe poisoning, which severely impacts the health and lives of soldiers. Lewisite, along with all combat poisons, is banned. Russia has pledged not to use them," said Zgurets.

According to him, previously, substances like chloropicrin, typically used in riot control grenades, were dropped by Russian troops from drones.

"The use of Lewisite is a new escalation, signaling a move towards using combat poisons. This situation should be reviewed by international bodies responsible for wartime conduct. Russia flouts these rules, but publicizing this fact is crucial now. I hope our authorities will gather evidence of Lewisite use and inform the global community that Russia is deploying combat poisons," Zgurets concluded.

• In September 2022, Artem Ruban, a fighter from the Svoboda battalion of Ukraine's National Guard, claimed that Russian forces used a poisonous substance against Ukrainian defenders in the Donetsk region. He suggested it might have been chloropicrin.
• On May 1, 2024, the US State Department confirmed that Russian occupying forces used the banned chemical substance chloropicrin against Ukraine's Defense Forces.
• On March 7, the International Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons reported on investigating claims from both Ukraine and Russia, each accusing the other of using chemical weapons.
• On June 15, Denys Yaroslavskyi, the commander of a special intelligence unit, stated on Facebook that Russia started using ammunition with Lewisite, describing it as "a combat poisonous chemical substance that smells like pelargonium flowers, with smoke resembling mud in color."