Ukraine calls for an inquiry into the reported use of Russian chemical weapons.

On Tuesday, Ukraine requested the international chemical weapons authority in The Hague to look into the purported use of prohibited toxic armaments by Russia against its troops.

Kyiv submitted a request for an investigation to the governing body of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). This came after Dutch and German intelligence agencies reported on Friday that they possessed evidence of extensive illegal weapon usage by Russia along the frontline.

Agency head Fernando Arias stated in a message to the OPCW’s Executive Council that due to the reported frequent usage of hazardous chemical agents, his office would enhance surveillance of actions along the Russia-Ukraine conflict line.

He urged Ukraine to engage in talks about its proposal with member states, most of whom might be required to back such an investigation.

In 2018, the OPCW established a comparable team to investigate claims of chemical weapons utilization in Syria. The Investigation and Identification Team determined that Syrian government troops and Islamic State fighters had employed prohibited chemical weapons during the civil war that started in March 2011.

In May of last year, the United States initially charged Russia with employing chloropicrin, a chemical more harmful than riot control substances, which was first utilized by Germany in World War One.

The OPCW, a disarmament organization based in The Hague and comprised of 193 member states, stated last year that the initial claims made by both nations against one another were “insufficiently substantiated.” Both parties have rejected accusations of employing chemical weapons in the conflict, which intensified following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

“Ukraine hereby requests the Director-General of the OPCW to take steps towards establishing an independent and impartial mechanism (to) investigate cases of alleged use of chemical weapons in Ukraine,” a copy of the request shared said.

It asked that the mechanism be empowered to “collect additional evidence and identify perpetrators, organisers, sponsors of such use.”

It was presented at the start of four days of private meetings by the Executive Council of the OPCW, comprising 41 countries. The disarmament organization offered no immediate response to the request.

The Dutch Military Intelligence Agency stated that at least three Ukrainians have died due to chemical weapons, while over 2,500 battlefield injuries reported symptoms related to chemical weapons to Ukrainian health officials. On Monday, Britain sanctioned two Russian individuals and one Russian entity as part of its chemical weapons sanctions framework, in its ongoing attempt to penalize Moscow for the conflict in Ukraine.