Russia Asks OPCW to Check Ukraine for Use of Chemical Weapons

Russian authorities have applied the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to provide experts for technical participation in the process of proving Ukraine's use of chemical weapons. RIA Novosti reports citing Russia's Permanent Representative to the OPCW, Russian Ambassador to The Hague Vladimir Tarabrin.

The 109th Session of the Executive Council of the OPCW is being held in The Hague from July 8 to 11.

"The Russian side continues to record not only cases of the use of toxic chemicals and combat poisonous substances by Ukrainian nationalists, but also the existence of an extensive system of their mass production in Ukraine. In this regard, I have been instructed to officially inform the OPCW Member States that the Permanent Mission has forwarded a letter from the Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation with a request to the Director -General of the OPCW Technical Secretariat "to send TS experts to the Russian Federation on a visit to provide technical assistance in accordance with paragraph 38 (e) of Article VIII of the Convention," Tarabrin said during the session, the text of his speech was made available to RIA Novosti.