A research institute outside Moscow is manufacturing chemical weapons that Russia’s military has deployed in Ukraine — in violation of international law — a report by Skhemy (lit. “Schemes”), the investigative unit of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Ukrainian service, has found.
The Applied Chemistry Research Institute in Sergiyev Posad, a town just over 40 miles northeast of Moscow, sources the components for its grenades from companies across Russia that have not yet been hit by Western sanctions. The facility also receives materials from Chinese firms which it uses to produce banned phosphorus munitions, the investigation revealed.
Despite its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention, Russia has not abandoned such weapons but has instead modernized and expanded their production. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has documented more than 10,000 chemical attacks on its country’s troops — mostly with RG-Vo (РГ-Во) grenades, short for “hand grenade with toxic substance,” which were introduced to Russia’s arsenal in December 2023, according to Skhemy. The grenades are widely used by Russian units, including the 114th and 136th Motorized Rifle Brigades and detachments of the National Guard (Rosgvardiya).
The weapons contain toxic CS and CN gases. While their production is not formally banned, using them in combat violates international law. Russian forces employ the RG-Vo to flush Ukrainian soldiers from dugouts and other shelters before attacking. The grenades have been displayed at exhibitions and on television broadcasts by state-controlled propaganda channel RT, but the Kremlin denies using them.
How the grenades are used
- After pulling the pin and securing the safety lever, the grenade is attached to a quadcopter (a four-rotor drone).
- The operator flies it over Ukrainian positions and drops it into a dugout.
- Toxic smoke quickly fills the space. Soldiers either put on gas masks or flee for air.
- Once they leave cover, Russian troops open fire.
Why does that qualify as winning? Taking some land is not winning, just look at WW2. Also, nothing points at “Russia can keep this going while Ukraine can not”. Russia is running out of tanks etc. Personnel are old man they recruit is some shit hole, the jails are already empty. Economy is massively suffering and now they keep losing more and more of their refineries, which is their main source of income.
The industrial war is lopsided? So… why are they using e-scooters now at the front? After beach buggies after cars after trucks after IFVs? They loose everything without Ukraines allies switching to a war time economy.
At the rate they advance they have Ukraine in 1000 years, so even if we disregard our knowledge that taking land is not the same as winning a war, how are these tiny gains relevant?
Where is the West desperate? How? Do you mean Trump? I hope not. That would be like saying Russia attacks because they want to denazify Ukraine, so I hope that is not the case.
The most insane part of their comment: “The West is losing”, when only one party of “The West” is actually fighting.
Ukraine is fighting with the support of others. It’s not all of them fighting the war.
If you go there, Russia has been attacking The West for many years, through hybrid warfare. Yet, The West remains collected and relatively stable, without resorting to aggression. Their countermeasures are defensive by nature, yet cause disruption deep into Russia anyway.
The disparity is baffling.
Coming back to the original claim of the commenter, the most influence is on other nations like China, the USA, and EU. They indirectly dictate how the war will develop. When looking at prognosis, any look into the current state and development is arbitrary when a single external factor would change everything.
Yes, the Russians have said from the beginning that their aim is to demilitarize Ukraine, which in practice means grinding down their military in a war of attrition. That is why I mentioned the manpower shortage first. Everyone honest admits that all of the Ukrainian units are running at a fraction of full strength. Since the Russian’s main aim isn’t to take land yet they are anyways, it is a sign that the final collapse of the Ukrainian military is underway. Another thing that everyone who is honest admits is that the top Ukrainian command has been continuously overextending and taking huge losses defending encircled positions.
This is 1000% Western cope. The Russians have been able to replace their losses and even stand up new units over the course of the war. The Ukrainians are constantly having to merge two battered units into one (still well below full strength). Are you watching the war footage (from both sides) or just reading the Western press? The Russians are consistently fielding at least 10x the number of armored vehicles. Seen any artillery strikes from the Ukrainians lately? The shortage of artillery pieces and rounds is so acute, the rumor is that they have pulled all their artillery to the west bank of the Dnipro. The Ukrainians don’t even have glide bombs at all. The combination of these three factors means that the Ukrainians are powerless to take any fortified positions. All they can do is to target vehicles and troops in the open with FPV and bomber drones.
I don’t even really understand the argument being made here but are you looking at the numbers? Russia has been outgrowing every country in the West for the entire duration of this war. The western backers are economically exhausted and on the brink of collapse. Russia has a debt to GDP ratio below 20%, one of the lowest in the world. By contrast, long bonds in all the western economies are approaching highs not seen in decades.
On the industrial side, do you remember that the Russians are producing three times more artillery shills than all of the West put together?
This argument is just silly in the extreme. Even pro-Ukrainian sources reject it. War is non-linear. Also, the point of the encirclement isn’t the land gains in themselves, it’s the attrition. To really bring the absurdity home, the basic argument isn’t even true anymore. Large swaths of Konstantinivka and Pokrovsk are already under Russian control or are grey zones. Their logistic links are already endangered from long range drones. We are about to watch another Bakmut or Adiivka unless the Ukrainians immediately change their foolish strategy and withdraw before they are completely encircled.
LOL I was referring to these fucking jokes like Starmer, Merz and Macron running around having summits with themselves, making a bunch of screeching noise in the press while being fantastically unpopular at home and presiding over governments and economies on the brink of collapse.
You know for me, when I see a country which had a far-right coup, hero worships notorious Nazi Stephan Banderra, and can’t seem to help themselves from slipping Nazi symbolism into many of their unit insignia… Sounds like a Nazi regime to me. Of course the West has a long history of looking the other way with regard to Nazi sympathizers in order to advance their geostrategic objectives
Holy shit, no way am I going to waste even more time when you throw more, even absurder nonsense at me.
Are you just going to slink away in defeat or do you dare to actually point out which of my arguments you consider flawed?