Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to help prevent Russian forces increasing the use of banned gas weapons in Ukraine.

Russia’s use of chemical weapons on the front lines in Ukraine is wholly unacceptable. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has published two reports confirming the presence of CS gas in samples collected by Ukraine from the battlefield. In October, the UK sanctioned Russian troops and laboratories for their involvement in the use of chemical weapons in Ukraine. The UK will not allow such blatant violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention and rules-based order to go unpunished.

The UK continues to work closely with our international partners, both bilaterally and in multilateral forums, to coordinate our response to Russia’s use of Chemical Weapons. This includes ensuring the coordinated provision of Counter-CBRN support and assistance to Ukraine and coordinating our response in international fora. The UK has consistently called out Russian use of chemical weapons in Ukraine at the UN and the OPCW.

The UK has been at the forefront of international support and assistance to Ukraine. In the first few months of Russia’s illegal invasion, UK MOD provided respirators and decontamination kits to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as other protective measures to enhance Ukraine’s protective capabilities against chemical weapons. In December 2024, following a direct request for UK Assistance by Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence announced a further funding of £3million for the procurement of respirators to protect Ukraine's forces. This is being procured jointly with Canada with through the G7 led Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons of Mass Destruction. The UK has also provided funding to the OPCW’s Assistance to Ukraine trust fund to procure assistance and detection equipment to Ukraine, including equipment to help assist Ukraine detect the use of chemicals on the battlefield.