Escalation of Russia-Ukraine conflict: Ukrainian forces are accused of using American-made chemical munitions, and Russia claims full control of key areas of Avdeyevka.
News reference**: Xinhua News Agency, CCTV News.
The commander of Russia's radiation, chemical and biological protection forces, Kirillov, held a press conference on February 19 to expose a major allegation that Ukrainian forces used American-made chemical munitions in clashes with Russian forces. Kirillov specifically pointed out that at the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024, in the exchange of fire in the Redman direction, the Ukrainian army twice used grenades containing harmful chemicals and unknown toxic agents to attack Russian positions, causing Russian personnel to suffer upper respiratory tract burns and other symptoms of poisoning. Kirillov stressed that the Ukrainian side, with the support and guidance of Western countries, is planning to develop a strategy to use chemical ** to stop the offensive of the Russian army.
At the same time, the military dynamics of the Ukrainian side are constantly updated. According to the Ukrainian state news agency, the Ukrainian army successfully established a new defensive line in the Avdeyevka direction, especially in the area of Nova Mutovka, Lastochkino and Wuyi villages, where the Ukrainian army effectively repelled several offensive attempts by the Russian army. However, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has reported to Putin on the 17th that Russia has taken full control of the city of Avdeyevka, an important defense hub of the Ukrainian army, and further announced that the Russian army has occupied the Avdeyevka coking plant and has advanced more than 86 km of depth of front-line positions.
Although the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, Sersky, announced in the early morning of the 17th that the Ukrainian army would withdraw from Avdeyevka and move to a more favorable position, this series of rapidly changing battlefield situations shows that the competition between Russia and Ukraine in the region is still fierce and the situation is changing rapidly.
Notably, Kirillov mentioned that the U.S. has transferred non-lethal chemicals** in multiple theaters, including Ukraine, Iraq, and Afghanistan, with the U.S. Department of Defense earmarking $10 million in fiscal year 2018 for such deployments on the battlefields of Syria and Iraq. This has undoubtedly exacerbated concerns about the possible misuse of chemicals, and has raised deep international concern about the flow of relevant technologies and materials into conflict areas.
In general, the development of the Russia-Ukraine conflict is not only reflected in the complexity of the offensive and defensive transformation on the ground front, but also highlights the serious issues of the wrestling between the major powers and the rules of war behind it. The accusations of the use of chemical ** and the construction of a new line of defense are recent developments in this conflict that cannot be ignored.
This article is based on relevant reports from Xinhua News Agency and CCTV News, and the content stated is the author's views based on the integration of existing public information, and does not contain any political overtones and does not represent any political position.