Chemical weapons

2022 - 3 - 11

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Image courtesy of "Politico"

Biden warns Russia will pay 'severe price' if it uses chemical ... (Politico)

President Joe Biden on Friday threatened “severe” consequences if Russia uses chemical weapons in Ukraine. Biden's warning was in response to a question ...

“We’re not going to let Russia get away with lying to the world or staining the integrity of the security council by using this forum as a venue for legitimizing Putin’s violence.” “We believe Russia could use chemical or biological agents for assassinations as part of a staged or false flag incident or to support tactical military operations. At the Security Council meeting on Friday, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield accused Russia of using the U.N. forum to legitimize its disinformation campaign. U.S. and Ukrainian officials have expressed concern this week that the narrative advanced by Zakharova is an indication Russia could be planning to use the weapons against Ukrainians or as part of a false flag operation. But that they would use such a claim for some sort of pretextual event in the future, that’s something we’re concerned about.” “We’re watching this very, very closely,” Kirby said on MSNBC. “[It’s] an absurd claim that we are helping Ukraine develop bioweapons. The president’s threat comes on the heels of a series of warnings from White House officials this week that Russia might seek to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine. Those statements came after the White House rejected Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Maria Zakharova’s claim that the U.S. was working with Ukraine to develop chemical and biological weapons to use against Russian forces. The State Department noted on Twitter this week that the U.S. does not have chemical and biological weapons labs in Ukraine. The U.S. does support public health labs in Ukraine, which help to provide support to the government’s health department on efforts such as studying diseases like Covid-19. U.S. involvement with these labs goes back to the Cooperative Threat Program, created by the U.S. in 1991, which was formed to help secure and eliminate what was left of the former Soviet Union’s biochemical weapons program in countries like Ukraine. Russia in recent years has spread false information about U.S. biological weapon research, and China has repeatedly endorsed the propaganda — claiming these labs are a cover-up for secret U.S. bioweapons program. The president’s threat comes on the heels of a series of warnings from White House officials this week that Russia might seek to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine. “I’m not going to speak about the intelligence,” Biden said following the remarks at the White House in response to a shouted question about the potential deployment of chemical weapons by the Kremlin. “But Russia would pay a severe price if they use chemical weapons.” White House press secretary Jen Psaki this week condemned Russia’s actions as an “obvious ploy” in order to justify its attack on Ukraine, and Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby called Russia’s claims “a bunch of malarkey.” Kirby leaned into that message again on Friday.

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Image courtesy of "Fortune"

Russia accused Ukraine of developing biological weapons in a wild ... (Fortune)

"If you want to find out Russia's plans, you should look at what Russia is accusing others of," warns Ukrainian President Zelenskyy.

It is more likely they would resort to chemical weapons,” she noted. “I think there is still a red line in the sense that we have an international treaty banning the use of chemical weapons, which Russia is a signatory to,” said Lentzos. That would be unprecedented. As if we’re preparing a chemical attack. “As if we’re developing biological weapons. But if Russia were to use chemical weapons in Ukraine, what sort of response might that draw from the West? “Yes, there are biological labs in Ukraine. Yes, they receive funding from Americans—they have been working with other partners as well. There are pathogens in these labs. Under Putin’s direction, Russia was alleged to have used chemical weapons in Chechnya at the end of the 1990s. In a deal with the U.S. aimed at averting Western intervention, Russia agreed to act as guarantor for Syria’s destruction of its chemical weapons stocks. But according to biological threats expert Filippa Lentzos, it’s nonsense. Russia may be looking to “justify a false-flag operation or them using chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine themselves,” an unnamed U.S. official told NBC News earlier in the week.

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Image courtesy of "Financial Times"

Military briefing: fear of deployment of chemical weapons in Ukraine (Financial Times)

Biden raises alarm over potential use by Russia as norms against such munitions seem under threat.

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Image courtesy of "The Guardian"

UK minister warns Russia against using chemical weapons in Ukraine (The Guardian)

Chris Philp says Moscow would face 'dramatic increased response' if it launches chemical attack.

Johnson said on Thursday: “The stuff which you are hearing about chemical weapons is straight out of the Russian playbook. He told Times Radio: “Clearly, the use of chemical weapons, especially in an invasion where there are a very large number of civilians, would be an outrage against humanity. “Sometimes they do that in preparation but I hope that’s not what they’re contemplating.

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Image courtesy of "thejournal.ie"

Ukraine rejects chemical weapons claims as Biden pledges to avoid ... (thejournal.ie)

Russia has accused the United States of funding research into the development of biological weapons in Ukraine.

“They start saying that there are chemical weapons that have been stored by their opponents or by the Americans,” he said. Again, we would say to Russia: you are responsible for this war on the population of Ukraine, you are guilty of war crimes, you should stop and you should end the war. So when you see a Russian official lying, it's not some clever ploy, its just they're so full to the brim with shit it spilling out their mouths. You know that, and if you do something like that against us you will get the most severe sanctions in response. It is a cynical, barbaric government.” “At the maternity hospital in Mariupol? At the church in Kharkiv? At the Okhmatdt Children’s hospital?

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Image courtesy of "The Conversation UK"

Ukraine war: grim spectre of chemical and biological weapons ... (The Conversation UK)

While it hasn't admitted it, the world is sure that Russia has used the banned weapons in recent years.

The concern that Vladimir Putin would use chemical weapons is serious. Yet this claim that Russia has abandoned its chemical armaments is clearly false. Today, Russia is bound by the BWC to disarm and remove all its biological weapons. Psaki announced on Twitter that not only are Zakharova’s claims false, but that Russia is making them in order to justify its own employment of chemical and biological arms in the conflict. Psaki is right that Russia has an extensive and controversial biological warfare capacity. A spokesperson for the Russian foreign ministry, Maria Zakharova, has alleged that the US is collaborating with Ukraine to develop these weapons of mass destruction.

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Image courtesy of "Financial Times"

Biden warns Russia would pay 'severe price' for using chemical ... (Financial Times)

Joe Biden has warned that Russia would pay a “severe price” if it used chemical weapons during its war on Ukraine, although he declined to specify the ...

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Image courtesy of "The Wall Street Journal"

Biden Says Russia Would Pay 'Severe Price' If It Used Chemical ... (The Wall Street Journal)

Ukrainian President Zelensky warned Thursday that Russia was setting the stage for such an escalation.

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Image courtesy of "Sky News"

Ukraine war: What chemical and biological weapons could Russia ... (Sky News)

Dr Brett Edwards tells Sky News that while Russia does not have the capacity to use chemical weapons as part of its warfare, it could use nerve agents on a ...

But he fears incapacitants - such as tear gas and opiate-based substances - could be used to cause harm on a wide scale. "The CWC can't capture smaller, clandestine production. Read more: What is the Wagner Group of 'secret' Russian mercenaries? In that context, we know Russia lies on these issues." "Russia is very likely to use tear gas in a way that violates people's human rights - and there are also concerns other incapacitants could be used in the same way," he says. And we have good reason to assume there is small-scale production of nerve agents in Russia - but that doesn't have any relationship with the tonnes needed for chemical warfare. "The smaller use of weapons - akin to terrorism - is more likely," he explains. But Dr Edwards says that Russia being a signatory of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) means it does not have the capacity to launch chemical attacks like the ones seen in Syria. Dr Edwards, an expert in the history of chemical and biological weapons, said: "It all comes back to Syria. Russia lied repeatedly about there being chemical weapons in Syria, while working hand in hand with a Syrian regime that was using chemical weapons. After the atrocities in Ghouta, the Russians agreed to negotiate with the US on behalf of President Assad and eventually struck a deal to allow them to destroy Syria's illegal stockpile of chemical weapons. Dr Brett Edwards tells Sky News that while Russia does not have the capacity to use chemical weapons as part of its warfare, it could use nerve agents on a smaller scale. UK and US intelligence officials have warned there is "serious concern" Russia could use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine.

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Image courtesy of "Axios"

White House: Russian propaganda could presage chemical ... (Axios)

Why it matters: Vladimir Putin has a history of deploying illegal nerve agents against enemies, including Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and former ...

And the father of two children. And no chemical or any other weapons of mass destruction were developed on my land," an exhausted-looking Zelensky pleaded. "This makes me really worried because we've been repeatedly convinced: If you want to know Russia's plans, look at what Russia accuses others of." Zoom out: "I am the President of an adequate country, an adequate nation. Reality check: The U.S. and Ukraine have vigorously denied the presence of any U.S.-backed bioweapons program, saying the only labs the U.S. supports in Ukraine are standard research facilities that focus on "diagnostics, therapeutics, treatment prevention and vaccines." The White House is sounding the alarm over a new Russian propaganda campaign that officials fear is a pretext for an appalling new phase of the war in Ukraine: the use of biological or chemical weapons.

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