By Staff, Agencies

Russia’s envoy to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons [OPCW], Vladimir Tarabrin, has accused Western backers of Ukraine of ignoring evidence that Kiev is employing chemical agents in the conflict, calling their response “the utmost hypocrisy”.

Speaking at an OPCW Executive Council session in The Hague on Thursday, Tarabrin said Moscow had submitted a “new batch of evidence, recorded by a certified laboratory” that meets the watchdog’s standards.

He said Russian forces recovered an improvised explosive device [IED] in May in the Donetsk People’s Republic containing test tubes with a mixture of chloroacetophenone and chloropicrin — chemicals that can cause severe eye and lung irritation and whose use in warfare is prohibited under the Chemical Weapons Convention [CWC].

Tarabrin accused Western states of creating “a parallel reality” at the OPCW that portrays Kiev as a responsible actor, while deliberately ignoring what he described as a network of laboratories in Ukraine producing toxic chemicals and chemical warfare agents. He insisted Western specialists “know” about these activities but choose to turn a blind eye.

The envoy also reiterated Russia’s denial of any CWC violations by its forces. He referenced past Russian claims — echoed by the Federal Security Service [FSB] — that Ukrainian forces have repeatedly employed chloropicrin-filled IEDs with drones and that a laboratory producing hydrogen cyanide had been uncovered.

Tarabrin’s remarks come amid intense diplomatic exchanges at the OPCW and add to growing mutual allegations between Moscow and Kyiv over prohibited weapons use.