Zelensky Says Russians Using 'Phosphorus Bombs' After Nazi Azovs' Chemical Weapons Claim

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told members of the Estonian Parliament on Wednesday that Russia had used “phosphorus bombs” against civilians in his country.

While Zelensky had similarly mentioned use of phosphorus bombs in the past, the latest allegation follows claims by members of the neo-Nazi Azov Regiment, a formal wing of the Ukrainian armed forces, this week that Ukrainian fighters had suffered an attack by an unknown chemical agent in Mariupol, a critical port city in the disputed Donbas region.

It also follows remarks by British officials that proven chemical weapons use in the ongoing war between the two countries would be an “escalation” that puts all options – presumably including further military intervention – “on the table” against Russia.

Zelensky was addressing the parliament of Estonia on Wednesday as part of his campaign to galvanize support for Ukraine around the world.

“Tens of thousands of people have already been killed in Ukrainian cities affected by Russian strikes. The Russian army uses all kinds of artillery, all kinds of missiles and air bombs against residential areas and civilian infrastructure,” the president said, according to a transcript of his speech posted on the official website of the presidential office of Ukraine. “In particular, phosphorus bombs and other munitions prohibited by international law.”

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Elsewhere in his remarks, Zelensky lamented that “regional alliances, and above all NATO, have faced a difficult reality when no one can be 100-percent sure whether they will really protect their members in the event of a large-scale Russian attack.”

“Or in the event of an even worse attack – with the use of weapons of mass destruction,” he continued. “For the first time in many years, the threat of Russia’s use of chemical or even nuclear weapons has to be taken seriously.”

Zelensky did not specify where or how Russia allegedly used phosphorus bombs in Ukraine, nor did he provide any evidence for this accusation. The Ukrainian president has in the past, including in his address to the American Congress, supplemented his speeches to international lawmakers with videos showing evidence of alleged Russian human rights abuses.

The use of white phosphorus in general in warfare is not illegal – it only becomes a tool of a war crime when used explicitly to ensure that a bomb causes more severe burns or when targeting civilians.

“White phosphorus munitions can be used on battlefields to make smoke screens, generate illumination, mark targets or burn bunkers and buildings,” Reuters explained in 2009. “Because it has legal uses, white phosphorus is not banned as a chemical weapon under international conventions. But some U.S. military training manuals say its use against people is banned.”

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Zelensky first accused Russian fighters of using phosphorus bombs against civilians in late March, claiming that “children were killed” as a result during a discussion with NATO leaders.

Accusations of chemical weapons use escalated this week, however, after Andriy Biletsky, the head of the neo-Nazi Azov Regiment, claimed that his fighters endured an attack using unknown toxins in Mariupol. Mariupol is now the center of the most intense fighting between Russia and Ukraine; both sides have accused each other of human rights abuses there.

“About an hour ago, the Russian occupation forces used a poisonous substance of unknown origin against the Ukrainian military and civilians in the city of Mariupol, which was dropped from an enemy UAV,” the state-run Ukrinform quoted Biletsky as saying on the communications application Telegram.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that it was “verifying” the attack and that “phosphorus munitions could have been used.”

Azov fighters allegedly updated on Teusday that the victims of the attack were in “relatively satisfactory condition” and identified one of the alleged victims as an “elderly woman.”

“At the moment, we know that the enemy has used poisonous substances or potent poisonous substances, mostly causing suffocation,” a statement from the Azov Regiment alleged. “Due to the blockade, it is impossible to conduct their toxicological analysis. Meanwhile, the main task is to monitor the condition of personnel and the possible effects of poisoning.”

The Azov Regiment openly uses Nazi symbols and many of its fighters sport white supremacist tattoos. Members of the militia have participated in multiple protests against Zelensky specifically condemning him for being Jewish.

Servicemen of the “Azov” regiment and Ukrainian National Guard (NGU) march through the city of Mariupol on June 15, 2019. (EVGENIYA MAKSYMOVA/AFP via Getty Images)

The administration of President Joe Biden has expressed “concern” over chemical weapons accusations but has insisted it has no evidence to confirm the claims.

“We are concerned, as we’ve said before, that Russia may seek to resort to chemical weapons. We’re concerned on the basis of a few elements,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Tuesday. “We know that Russia has a track record. Russia has used these agents against its own people on Russian soil, on European soil.”

“Russia is engaging in the practice of projection, projecting onto – whether it’s Ukraine, whether it’s the United States – what they themselves may be planning to do in terms of the false lies that there are active chemical weapons programs on Ukrainian soil,” he continued, “or that the United States is somehow involved in any chemical weapons program on Ukrainian soil – both outright lies.”

Price was referencing Russia’s repeated accusations that Ukrainian troops, not Russians, are using chemical weapons to stage attacks. He asserted that Washington was “not in a position to confirm” reports about chemical weapons use in Mariupol.

Russian officials announced on Wednesday that they had launched an investigation into “possible use of toxic substances by Ukrainian servicemen using unmanned aerial vehicles,” a claim mirroring the Azov allegation against Russian forces. The Russian news agency Tass claimed that the investigation would also focus on “the operations of American biological laboratories in Ukraine,” elaborating on a Russian government claim that America was developing chemical weapons in the country to be used against Moscow.

“According to existing information, Russian servicemen discovered the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with containers for liquids and dispersers at a military base abandoned by the Ukrainian armed forces,” Tass claimed. “These UAVs could have been used to spread toxic chemicals targeting civilians as well as the Russian military.”

The Russian embassy in Washington also issued a statement condemning Price efor alleged “provocative statements,” insisting that Russia’s soldiers “do not and cannot have chemical warfare agents.”

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