"While the risk remains ambiguous, the Russian leader’s long infatuation with the toxic arms fuels worries that the deadly poisons could be deployed in Ukraine."
"In September 2017, as President Vladimir V. Putin presided over the televised destruction of what he called the last of Russia’s chemical arms, he hailed their elimination as “a huge step towards making the modern world more balanced and safe.”
Now, years later, President Biden and Western leaders are warning that Russia may carry out chemical strikes in Ukraine. No hard evidence has emerged of chemical arms deployed in or near the theater of combat, in contrast to the Russian leader’s clearer nuclear warnings. Analysts nonetheless see the threat of chemical warfare as real because Mr. Putin has long shown a willingness to ignore the international ban on chemical weapons. This helps him create an atmosphere of toxic intimidation, they say, that may give Russia a battlefield edge without ever having to fire a shot.
“He’s already scaring people,” said Hanna Notte, an expert on Russia’s use of chemical arms at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Monterey, Calif. The wide apprehension, experts noted, is prompting the West to provide Kyiv with gear and training meant to thwart any chemical strikes."
William J. Broad reports for the New York Times May 4, 2022.
SEE ALSO:
"Amid War, Ukrainians Are Tracking Russia’s Crimes Against The Environment" (Mongabay)
"How The War In Ukraine Affects The Environment" (NPR)
Advertisement 
