New intelligence from the Dutch Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) and the German BND indicates that Russia is systematically deploying banned chemical agents on the Ukrainian battlefield. Among other things, strangling gas payloads have allegedly been poured over trenches via unmanned drones, with the aim of chasing Ukrainian troops out of cover.
Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans warned of tougher sanctions against Moscow in a parliamentary letter. "The facts do not lie: Russia is intensifying the use of chemical weapons," he stated. According to Brekelmans, this development is worrisome because it has become a more normal part of Russian warfare in recent years.
German foreign intelligence also confirmed the findings. "We, as well as our Dutch colleagues, have independently gathered evidence that these prohibited means were used toward Ukrainian soldiers," said a BND spokesman. While independent verification of the allegations remains difficult, both services underscore that they draw the same conclusions based on their own investigations.
The United States already hinted last May at use of chloropicrin a more powerful chokegas than regular tear gas variants and first employed by Germany in World War I. Ukraine, meanwhile, is suing over thousands of chemical weapons incidents. Brekelmans reported that over 2,500 victims have been reported to Ukrainian medical services alone with complaints indicating chemical exposure.
According to MIVD chief Peter Reesink, these are not occasional experiments on the front lines, but a large-scale, structured program. "We see scientists being recruited, research labs being set up and soldiers being instructed on the use of poisoned munitions," Reesink said. He even spoke of "almost established procedure" in the deployment of these agents.
Brekelmans calls on the EU and NATO to exclude Russia from international bodies such as the Board of Governors of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). New sanctions, he said, should be coordinated with the European Commission, which will soon submit proposals to place additional entities and individuals on the sanctions list.
Unified evidence from Dutch and German intelligence once again establishes that the ban on chemical weapons is being undermined. The advice given from The Hague and Berlin is that there should be tightened measures to prevent escalation.
