Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
MOSCOW, SANA- Statements by former US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan about Russia’s plans to use chemical weapons in the special operation zone reveal the intention by the US and its accomplices to stage a provocation using toxic chemicals in Ukraine, Chief of Russia’s Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Troops Lieutenant-General Igor Kirillov told a briefing on Tuesday.
“On February 22, an influential American nongovernmental organization held a conference on the events in Ukraine. During the event, former US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan made a statement, claiming that Russian troops were allegedly planning to use chemical weapons in the special military operation zone. We regard this information as the intention by the US itself and its accomplices to stage a provocation in Ukraine using toxic chemicals,” Kirillov said.
The preparations for the provocation are in full swing, he stressed.
In particular, chemical substances were delivered to Kramatorsk in a rail car of a train accompanied by foreign citizens on February 10. The rail car was towed to the territory of the Kuibyshev metals works in Kramatorsk and the chemicals were unloaded under the control of SBU (Security Service of Ukraine) staff and representatives of the Ukrainian military command, Kirillov said.
In all, there were 16 tightly sealed metal boxes in the rail car. A half of them had the marking of a chemical hazard, the BZ inscription, and also the markings with two red stripes corresponding to the category of chemical agents with a temporary incapacitating effect, he said.
“This chemical causes acute psychosis, the loss of orientation, hallucinations and memory disorders,” the Russian general said, emphasizing that the use of BZ is prohibited by article 1 of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
The rail car also contained five boxes with the ‘CS Riot’ and three boxes with the ‘CR Riot’ labels marked by one red stripe, which corresponds to irritant agents, Kirillov said.
“The cargo was placed into US-made armored vehicles that set off for the engagement line as part of a military convoy,” he said.
“The facts of the simultaneous delivery of toxic chemicals and means of protection against them testify to the attempt to stage large-scale provocations using the BZ combat psychotropic chemical agent in the conflict zone,” Kirillov stressed.
BZ is a chemical agent in service with the US Army and was widely used during the Vietnam War.
Source: TASS
