US accuses Russia of using chemical weapons in Ukraine

The State Department accused Russia on Thursday over the use of chemical weapons in Ukraine following a new set of sanctions against the country.

Russia violated the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act by using the chemical weapon chloropicrin against Ukrainian troops, the department said. The lung-damaging chemical was used as a poison gas in the First World War.

New sanctions come after Ukrainian military leadership first accused Russia in February, of the use of gas in more than 800 attacks during the war. Moscow denied the allegations at the time, arguing that it was Ukrainian forces who used banned chemical weapons.

The Department of State and the Treasury sanctions announced Wednesday include some targeting Russia’s chemical and biological weapons programs. The sanctions also target about 80 other companies involved in the Russian defense industry and more than 280 individuals aiding the war effort, the State Department said.

The targeted individuals include those associated with the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in prison under suspicious circumstances earlier this year. The Biden administration has said Russian President Vladimir Putin is responsible for the death.

The sanctions also target Chinese companies accused of aiding Russian military efforts.

“Yesterday’s action specifically reflects the concern of the United States and our international partners about entities based in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that produce and supply critical inputs to Russia’s military-industrial base,” the State Department wrote in a communicated.

Wednesday’s sanctions separately ban the import of Russian uranium for use in nuclear energy production.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the sanctions “further disrupt and degrade Russia’s war efforts by attacking its military industrial base and the evasion networks that help fuel it.”