The US has accused Russia of deploying chemical weapons as a “method of warfare” in Ukraine in violation of international laws banning their use.
State Department officials said Russia used the choking agent chloropicrin to win “battlefield gains” over Ukraine.
The allegations, which US officials said were not an “isolated” incident, would contravene the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which Russia signed.
The Kremlin rejected the accusations, calling them “baseless”.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow that Russia stood by its obligations under the CWC, which prohibits states from developing or acquiring new weapons. Some 193 states have ratified the convention.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), a global watchdog that oversees the implementation of the CWC, says a chemical weapon is a substance used to cause intentional death or harm through its toxic properties.
Chloropicrin – which the US says Russia has used to “dislodge Ukrainian forces from fortified positions” – is an oily substance which was widely used during World War One. It irritates the lungs, eyes and skin and can cause vomiting, nausea and diarrhoea, according to the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC).
The chemical’s use in war is expressly banned under the CWC, and is listed as a choking agent by the OPCW.
The State Department also said Moscow had regularly used “riot control agents,” or tear gas, during the war.
President Joe Biden has previously warned Russia against deploying chemical weapons in Ukraine. In March 2022, weeks after Moscow launched its invasion, Mr. Biden vowed that President Vladimir Putin would pay a “severe price” if he did authorize the use of chemical weapons.
“We would respond if he uses it. The nature of the response would depend on the nature of the use,” Mr Biden said.
However, there have been consistent reports that Moscow has ignored that warning. US Assistant Secretary for Arms Control Mallory Stewart has previously said Russia was using riot control agents in the conflict.
And Ukraine says its troops have faced mounting chemical attacks in recent months. The Reuters news agency reported earlier this year that Russian forces had used grenades loaded with CS and CN tear gases.
