The head of the Dutch Ministry of Defense, Ruben Brekelmans, has officially confirmed that his country — namely, its intelligence services — has evidence of Russia's large-scale use of banned chemical weapons in the war against Ukraine.
Points of attention
- The Dutch government is advocating for tougher sanctions against Russia, including preventing their participation in international bodies like the OPCW Executive Council.
- There is a growing concern over the escalation of Russia's use of chemical weapons in the ongoing conflict with Ukraine, prompting calls for further action to address the issue.
Russia consistently uses chemical weapons against Ukraine
According to Brekelmans, Dutch intelligence services can confirm that the aggressor country is actively increasing the use of chemical weapons.
Against this background, he called for the introduction of tougher sanctions against Moscow.
This escalation is worrying because it is part of a trend we have been observing for several years now, where Russia's use of chemical weapons in this war is becoming more normal, standard and widespread, Ruben Brekelmans stressed.
The head of Dutch military intelligence, Peter Risink, also made a statement on this matter.
As the latter noted, the conclusions are based on "our own independent intelligence."
Risenk officially confirmed that there were "thousands of cases" of chemical weapons use.
What is important to understand is that Ukraine previously reported 9,000 such cases.
"We must increase the pressure even more. This means considering the possibility of imposing additional sanctions and, in particular, preventing them (Russia) from participating in international bodies such as the OPCW Executive Council," the Dutch Defense Minister added.
