The Security Service of Ukraine has documented war crimes committed by russian lieutenant general Igor Kirillov, the head of the russian armed forces’ radiation, chemical and biological protection troops.

The official is responsible for the massive use of banned chemical weapons by the russians against the Defence Forces on the eastern and southern fronts of Ukraine.

Since the beginning of the full-scale war, over 4,800 cases of chemical munitions use by the enemy on Kirillov’s orders have been recorded.

These weapons include K-1 combat grenades, which contain irritant chemical agents CS and CN. Their use is banned by the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction of 13 January 1993.

Since russia’s full-scale invasion, more than 2,000 military personnel of Ukraine’s Defence Forces were sent to military hospitals and other medical institutions in Ukraine with varying degrees of chemical poisoning.

Mostly, the occupiers launch ammunition with toxic substances by dropping them from FPV-drones on Ukrainian defence points.

When chemical grenades are detonated, their toxic compounds affect human mucous membranes, especially the eyes and respiratory tract.

In this way, the ruscists are trying to force Ukrainian soldiers to come out of the trenches under the invaders’ direct fire.

According to the investigation, the adversary often uses hazardous chemicals in the hottest areas of the battlefield, trying to hide the use of chemical agents under heavy artillery fire.

The SSU has identified russian grenades with poisonous substances on the battlefield and handed over the munitions and the soil samples to the International Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in a chain-of-custody procedure.

Two laboratories of this institution, which operate separately from each other, confirmed russia’s war crimes.

Based on the evidence collected, SSU investigators served Kirillov a notice of suspicion in absentia under Articles 28.2, 438.1 of the CCU (war crime, committed upon prior conspiracy, by a group).

The pre-trial investigation is ongoing to document other facts of violations of international humanitarian law by the occupiers.

The operation was carried out under the procedural supervision of the Prosecutor General’s Office.