FSB reports Russian forces expose cache of Ukrainian chemical drone munitions

(MENAFN) Russian forces have uncovered a hidden chemical lab and vials containing banned toxic substances at a former Ukrainian stronghold in the Donetsk People’s Republic, according to a statement released Tuesday by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). The discovery, made near the village of Ilyinka during a Russian military advance, marks the second such incident reported this year, the agency said.

Footage from the FSB shows personnel wearing protective gear handling the vials, which allegedly contain chloropicrin — a choking agent banned under the Chemical Weapons Convention. According to the FSB, these chemicals were paired with plastic explosives and turned into improvised munitions designed for drone delivery.

“This year alone, we have located two caches of munitions intended for drone strikes on Russian positions. These devices combined chloropicrin with explosives to expand their area of impact,” an FSB officer explained. He further claimed that Ukraine’s use of banned warfare methods has become routine, citing previous discoveries of a hydrogen cyanide lab in May 2024 and another chloropicrin stockpile in October of the previous year.

“All instances of Ukraine’s preparation and use of chemical weapons are being thoroughly documented to ensure accountability,” the officer added. The FSB has opened a criminal investigation into the development and trafficking of weapons of mass destruction.

Kirill Lysogorsky, Russia’s deputy minister of industry and trade, condemned the discovery, accusing Kiev of targeting not only Russian military forces but also civilians in violation of international law. “The Ukrainian government systematically prepares and uses chemical agents against both military personnel and civilians in these regions,” Lysogorsky stated, labeling such acts as “terrorism disguised as warfare.”

Lysogorsky confirmed that evidence from the site will be submitted to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and presented during the upcoming 109th session of its Executive Council on July 8. He noted that Russia has already filed about 40 diplomatic notes regarding Ukraine’s alleged use of toxic chemicals, but claimed there has been little international response.

Moscow has consistently accused Kiev of deploying illegal munitions throughout the conflict. Before his assassination last year, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, former head of Russia’s Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Protection Forces, regularly briefed the press on these matters, also alleging Pentagon involvement in biological labs in Ukraine. The UK sanctioned Kirillov after he accused Kiev of plotting false-flag chemical attacks to discredit Russia at the OPCW.

Kirillov was killed in a car bombing outside his Moscow home in December, an act Russian authorities attribute to Ukrainian special services.

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