Both Ukraine and Russia signed and ratified the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention.

Article I (5) of the Convention states: “Each State Party undertakes not to use riot control agents as a method of warfare.”

Article II (7) defines “Riot Control Agent” as: “Any chemical not listed in a Schedule, which can produce rapidly in humans, sensory irritation or disabling physical effects which disappear within a short time following termination of exposure.”

Videos from Russian and Ukrainian sources released online show that chemical weapons as defined above are being used in the Ukraine war.

The following video shows a riot control agent being deployed against Russian troops from a Ukrainian drone in clear violation of the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention.

(Video, Ukrainian drone tear gas attack)

It appears that the Russians have also used riot control agents against Ukrainian positions, but in the following video no Ukrainian soldiers appear to have been affected.

(Video, Russian drone tear gas attack)

One of the reasons given for including riot control agents in the 1993 Chemical Weapons Conventions was that their use in war might lead to the deployment of more dangerous chemical agents.

Has that happened?

A recently published Gateway Pundit article, included a Ukrainian-made and Ukrainian-distributed video of a Russian soldier flailing in a waist-deep, watered-filled ditch unable to right himself after another accompanying Russian soldier apparently died from unknown causes.

Additional analysis has been done on that video, which confirms and expands upon the initial observations presented in the original Gateway Pundit article.

Relevant screenshots are presented in an attempt to ascertain what had occurred, even though the video is edited, often unclear and may not show sequential events.

Two types of high explosive munitions are shown in the video, a F1 fragmentation hand grenade and a 30mm VOG-17M.

Based on the video evidence, it is possible that the first Russian soldier was killed by the F1 hand grenade dropped from the Ukrainian drone, but the lead (second) Russian soldier appeared unaffected by it.

The lead (second) Russian soldier was already flailing and unable to right himself in waist-deep water before the second, 30mm VOG-17M, munition was dropped from the drone.

The cause of the flailing was obviously edited out of the video.

Seizure or convulsive-like responses are more characteristic of chemical weapon use than injuries sustained from high explosive munitions.

Hydrogen cyanide and nerve gas can cause seizures or convulsions, the former agent being easier to obtain, handle and deploy.

Clearly, both Ukraine and Russia have violated the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention by their use of riot control agents.

It appears that these actions are becoming more dangerous which is certainly worthy of investigation.

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Lawrence Sellin, Ph.D. is retired U.S. Army Reserve colonel and a veteran of Afghanistan and Iraq. He had a civilian career in international business and medical research. Dr. Sellin is the author of Restoring the Republic: Arguments for a Second American Revolution. His email address is [email protected].

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Moldova briefly closed airspace Tuesday due to “security issues” amid fears of a Russian plot to overthrow the government, according to media reports.

The federal aviation authority closed and reopened airspace briefly following unconfirmed reports of a Russian drone sighting over the country, which is positioned along Ukraine’s southern border near the Black Sea and tolerates Russian military presence in a breakaway sliver of territory, Meduza reported. Ukrainian intelligence services warned the neighboring country that Moscow planned to topple the pro-Western central government Monday, according to Radio Free Europe (RFE/RL).

“Documents received from our Ukrainian partners show documentation of the locations and logistical aspects of organizing these subversions,” Moldovan President Maia Sandu said, according to RFERL. “The plan also involves the use of people from outside the country for violent actions,” she added, calling for “maximum vigilance.”

Moscow denied the plot to overthrow Moldova’s government, RFE/RL reported.

“Such claims are completely unfounded and unsubstantiated,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement, accusing Ukraine of providing false intelligence intended to inflame tensions between Russia and Moldova, according to RFE/RL. (Read more from “Country Closes Airspace Amid Fears of Russian Coup” HERE)

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Russia’s army is currently losing soldiers at the highest rate since the first week of the war almost a year ago — with a remarkable 824 troops dying each day, UK officials say.

The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense made the stunning claim Sunday, citing Ukrainian General Staff updates, but said it could not verify Ukraine’s methodology.

“The trends the data illustrate are likely accurate,” the Ministry said.

At rate of 824 deaths per day is about four times higher than the mean in June-July 2022, the UK government said.

“Ukraine also continued to suffer a high attrition rate,” the Defense Intelligence update stated without providing specific numbers. “The uptick in Russian casualties is likely due to a range of factors including lack of trained personnel, coordination and resources across the front — this is exemplified in Vuhledar and Bakhmut.” (Read more from “Russian Soldiers Dying at Highest Rate Since Beginning of War With More Than 800 Daily” HERE)

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Naftali Bennett, the Prime Minister of Israel towards the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year, says the West “blocked” a ceasefire he was helping to broker early in the war.

Bennett, who was prime minister and then alternate prime minister in Israel during a confusing period of coalition politics prior to the return of Benjamin Netanyahu as head of government in December, said that “there was a good chance of reaching a ceasefire” before the Western powers “curbed” negotiations in a wide-ranging interview uploaded to YouTube.

Israel is one of a number of states traditionally seen as being aligned with the West, along with the likes of India and Turkey, which have played little or no part in efforts to support Ukraine militarily or engage in the sanctions war with Russia, with Bennett explaining that while “the Americans expect… that we all rally for Ukraine” this would not necessarily have been in Israel’s interests.

By way of example, Bennett cited Israeli interests in Syria, where “once or twice a week we attack the Iranian presence… Russia, the superpower, has the S-300 there, and if they press the button Israeli pilots will fall.” (Read more from “Ex-Israeli PM: West ‘Blocked’ Ceasefire Early in Ukraine War” HERE)

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