“Not a second of time”
CNN: Ukrainians accuse Russians of using corrosive gas
December 20, 2023, 10:20 a.m
The UN Chemical Weapons Convention prohibits the use of poison gas. However, according to CNN, Ukrainian soldiers report several gas attacks. “This gas burns, makes you blind, you can’t breathe, it shoots straight down your throat. We didn’t even have a second,” said a soldier.
Ukrainian soldiers have accused Russia of using gas in attacks in southern Ukraine, according to a report. In recent weeks there have been cases in the southern Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhia near Orikhiv in which a corrosive and flammable gas was dropped from drones onto Ukrainian lines, reported the US television channel CNN, citing several soldiers from a Ukrainian front-line unit and an intelligence officer.
The Russians apparently used the gas to cause panic among Ukrainian soldiers before they were fired upon, they said. A paramedic reported nine cases in which gas had been used. This information cannot yet be independently verified. Since Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine began almost 22 months ago, there have been concerns that Russia could use poison gas in attacks.
The United Nations Chemical Weapons Convention prohibits the use of such weapons. A Ukrainian intelligence official told CNN that the substance used by the Russians was a type of CS gas. This is also known as tear gas. The chemical compound can temporarily incapacitate people by irritating the eyes, nose, mouth, lungs and skin.
A soldier told CNN: “First I saw smoke. We were running out of the trench and the gas suddenly caught fire. The trench was on fire. This gas burns, makes you blind, you can’t breathe, it shoots straight into your throat. We didn’t even have a second.” A second soldier added: “You breathe it in twice and you can’t breathe anymore.” The men said they had burns and welts on their faces, mouths and throats.