Displaying items by tag: Chemical Weapons

US officials have accused Russia of using chemical weapons in Ukraine, violating international laws. They claim that the choking agent chloropicrin was used to make ‘battlefield gains’. The Kremlin has yet to respond but has denied similar allegations previously. Although in 2017 Russia said it had destroyed all of its Cold War-era stockpile in 2017, it faces accusations of incomplete declarations and subsequent chemical attacks, including the Salisbury attack and Navalny poisoning. Reports suggest Russian forces deployed tear gas grenades, resulting in Ukrainian casualties. Joe Biden has warned of severe consequences if the accusations are proved, and the USA has sanctioned Russian state bodies and firms allegedly linked to biological and chemical weapons programmes. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has called for a war crimes investigation, alleging Russian forces executed over a dozen surrendering Ukrainian troops a few months ago.

Snake Island is a critical outpost for controlling shipping lanes for the export of Ukrainian grain and accessing the key port of Odessa. After Moscow retreated from the Black Sea outpost in a ‘gesture of goodwill in order to organise humanitarian grain corridors’ they launched a barrage of strikes on the island. Russian Su-30 fighter jets used phosphorus bombs, according to the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s army, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi. Phosphorus can kill, maim and poison victims, burning through bone upon contact with flesh. Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of using the weapons multiple times during Putin’s invasion, including in attacks last month on the western city of Lutsk and Popasna in the east. Pray for victims with phosphorus burns to be swiftly transported to medical burns units for skin grafts and specialised medical support. Pray for the registration of phosphorus as a chemical weapon under the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Charlie Rowley, 45, and Dawn Sturgess, 44, fell ill at a house in Amesbury and remain in a critical condition after being exposed to Novichok, the same nerve agent that poisoned ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal. There was nothing in their background suggesting the pair were targeted. Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said they could not confirm whether the nerve agent came from the same batch but the possibility was ‘clearly a line of inquiry’. Chemical weapons expert Richard Guthrie says the Novichok used on the Skripals may have been disposed of haphazardly. Security minister Ben Wallace says he cannot guarantee people are 100% safe from further contamination. The areas around Amesbury and Salisbury where the couple went on the day they fell ill have been cordoned-off and police warned the public against picking up anything if they didn’t know what it was. Pray for the victims’ recovery and for successful detailed examination of potentially dangerous areas.

Brushing aside Russia’s pledge to repel any Syria attack, President Trump used Twitter to put Moscow on notice that a military response to Assad’s use of chemical weapons is on the way, telling Russia to ‘get ready’ as missiles will be coming, telling him he ‘shouldn’t be partners with a ‘“Gas Killing Animal” who kills his people and enjoys it!’ Although Russia, Syria and Iran forcefully deny that chemical weapons were deployed on the rebel-held city of Douma, the US and its allies claim that they have evidence validating the charge. The precise timing and nature of the attack remains unknown. Recently the White House spoke of building support for an international response to Syria that would emphasise ‘the use of chemical weapons is a red-line no nation should feel comfortable crossing’. Currently, France and Britain are in consultation with the US to coordinate a response to the use of chemical weapons. See also ‘UK: Upholding Chemical Weapons Treaty’ above. 

Heavy fighting stopped another aid convoy from attending civilians in eastern Ghouta. ‘The situation is evolving on the ground, which doesn’t allow us to carry out the operation in such conditions’, said a spokeswoman for the Red Cross. Syrian government forces divided the besieged enclave in two; further squeezing rebels and tens of thousands of civilians trapped there. At least 87 civilians were killed on 7 March, and dozens were also treated for breathing difficulties, after airstrikes hit eastern Ghouta late that same day. Medics reported symptoms consistent with a toxic attack. The observatory said 60+ people were left struggling to breathe after barrel bombs hit the towns of Saqba and Hammuriyeh. Doctors at one medical facility treated at least 29 patients for chlorine exposure, and it is likely that more victims were treated at other clinics.

Amnesty International says that testimony gathered from the scene showed evidence that on 4 February the Syrian government used internationally-banned chemical weapons on the town of Saraqib. It accuses the Assad regime of showing ‘utter contempt’ for international law. The next day the UN Security Council failed to agree on a US-proposed statement condemning the continued use of chemical weapons in Syria. Russia was blamed by some diplomats for this failure. On 6 February, another chemical attack is reported to have targeted Afrin. An eyewitness reported, ‘Russian airplanes have not left the skies of East Ghouta. I watched missiles that look like they were made locally, carrying chemicals targeting civilians specifically in Douma. The fear is difficult to comprehend. Women and children are running in chaos. Injured are everywhere with blood all over. It is a civilian massacre. The airplanes come back to target the rescuers attending the wounded.’

Fifty-eight people have died and dozens have suffered in a chemical attack in Syria. Assad denied using any such weapons. Putin insisted Russia was not in the vicinity. Observers in Syria point the finger at it being a Syrian strike. Syria first used chemicals in 2013. It prompted purposeful discussion that came to nothing. Tuesday’s attack provoked President Trump to react within 48 hours - a major shift in America’s foreign policy. On Thursday night the USA launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Syrian airbase where the warplanes that carried out the chemical attacks were based. The UK knew in advance of the airstrike but was not involved. Russia knew in advance and were seen moving vehicles out of the area. They are calling the strike a violation of international law. Since the USA gave Russia and the UK warnings that a strike would happen and where it would happen, it was not a surprise military action. Whether it will be interpreted as an outright military act or a political strike, we should indeed pray into this fluid and tense situation.