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.
The purpose of the Azov intervention was to completely close the breakout and thus restore the last line of defense in Donetsk. This has absolutely not happened. Also, do you understand how desperate you have to be to fully commit the “imperial guard”? With their best reserve units committed, Ukrainians have no strategic flexibility.
Where in the front did this happen? I’m not saying it didn’t, but it doesn’t line up with anything I have heard for a long time.
Every one of those cities is being encircled by 20-50 additional km^2 every week. The Ukrainians are powerless to push back the pincers. Once again, the Russian goal is attrition not territory. Territory is a side effect but also a multiplier. Ukrainian logistic losses will be proportional to the number of supported troops and the length of vulnerable roadway.