UK sanctions Russian troops for deploying chemical weapons in Ukraine

The UK government has announced sanctions on Russian troops for their role in Russia’s use of chemical weapons in Ukraine.

In an announcement published on 8 October, the UK government said Russian forces had openly admitted to using hazardous chemical weapons, with widespread use of riot control agents and multiple reports of the use of the choking agent chloropicrin – a highly irritating chemical discovered in the 1840s – on the battlefield.

In an accompanying statement to the executive council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the UK permanent representative to the OPCW, Joanna Roper, said the UK would ‘hold all those who use these barbaric weapons to account’. ‘We call on Russia to immediately cease its use of these appalling weapons and to meet its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention [CWC],’ she said.

‘Today, my government has therefore announced sanctions on Russia’s Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defence Troops and their commander Igor Kirillov, and two of their subordinate laboratories, for their role in Russia’s use of chemical weapons in Ukraine.’

Under the CWC, any toxic chemical used with the purpose of causing harm or death during warfare is considered a chemical weapon and signatories to the treaty are obliged to declare all chemical agents they hold for riot control purposes.

The UK sanctions mean these organisations and people will be subject to an asset freeze and travel ban and will be unable to benefit from funds or economic resources from the UK. The aim of the sanctions is to encourage Russia to cease actions destabilising Ukraine or undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty or independence of Ukraine.

In addition to the sanctions, the UK has also recently made a voluntary contribution of £650,000 to the OPCW to support assistance and protection against chemical weapons in Ukraine, support the work of the OPCW in Syria and help advance innovative projects, including two key artificial intelligence projects.

In May 2024, the OPCW said allegations of the use of tear gas and riot control agents as weapons of war by Russian forces in Ukraine were ‘insufficiently substantiated’. This followed an announcement from the US Department of State, on 1 May, that it was imposing new measures on Russia for its use of chemical weapons, including chloropicrin, against Ukraine.