Dutch and German intelligence services reported Friday that Russia has expanded its use of banned chemical weapons in Ukraine, including deployment of choking agents by drones against entrenched Ukrainian soldiers.
Dutch intelligence officials said Russia has adopted a systematic approach to employing banned chemical agents such as chloropicrin and riot control gas CS. The chemicals, some dating back to World War I, are reportedly dropped into Ukrainian trenches via drones to drive soldiers into the open, where they are then targeted by gunfire.
“We have noticed a growing readiness to employ such weapons. The threat emanating from the Russian chemical weapons program is consequently increasing,” said Vice Admiral Peter Reesink, head of the Dutch Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD). He noted that the service has documented thousands of such incidents. “This isn’t just some ad hoc tinkering at the front line; it is truly part of a large-scale programme.”
Chloropicrin, a chemical warfare agent first used in World War I, can cause severe respiratory distress and is lethal in high concentrations. Germany’s BND foreign intelligence agency corroborated the Dutch findings, stating that Russia’s actions constitute a serious breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention. The 1992 treaty prohibits the use, development, and stockpiling of chemical weapons.
The Dutch defense minister, Ruben Brekelmans, described the development as “horrible and unacceptable,” calling for expanded sanctions against Moscow and reinforced support for Ukraine. Speaking to Reuters, he said that at least three Ukrainian soldiers have died as a result of chemical attacks, with more than 2,500 others showing symptoms consistent with exposure. “We must further increase the pressure,” Brekelmans said. “This means looking at more sanctions and specifically not allowing them to participate in international bodies like the Executive Council of the OPCW.”
Our Dutch intelligence agencies reveal Russia is intensifying its use of chemical weapons in Ukraine.
It is normalized and widespread. Chloropicrin is dropped by drones to drive soldiers out of trenches, and then kill them.
Horrible and unacceptable. https://t.co/ZRKP9BHawx pic.twitter.com/n3g0EY29Bx
— Ruben Brekelmans (@DefensieMin) July 4, 2025
Russia denies using prohibited weapons, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claiming that Ukrainian forces had instead stockpiled chloropicrin in the country’s east.
Both sides have previously accused each other of chemical weapons use, though the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has deemed the evidence presented thus far as insufficiently substantiated.
Ukrainian authorities claim Russia has conducted more than 9,000 chemical weapons attacks since its full-scale invasion began in 2022. In May 2024, the U.S. State Department also accused Russia of using chloropicrin on the battlefield.
The OPCW’s executive council is scheduled to convene next week in The Hague, where the issue of chemical weapons use in Ukraine is expected to be discussed. Meanwhile, Dutch officials warned that the increasing normalization of such tactics lowers the global threshold for chemical warfare. “It is not only dangerous for Ukraine, but also for the rest of Europe and the world,” Brekelmans stated.
