Russia may have used chemical weapons in Mariupol, Ukrainian officials say

(Image credit: ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images)

published 12 April 2022

The U.S. and other Western countries are investigating claims that Russian forces may have used chemical weapons in Mariupol, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

Per the Times, Mariupol officials have claimed "that some chemical had been dropped by a drone on the city's sprawling Azovstal steel plant," while Ukrainian military commanders in the area said "that the unknown substance "caused respiratory difficulties and neurological symptoms that can be associated with chemical agents in a handful of soldiers and civilians."

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Last month, President Biden warned that if Russian forces used chemical weapons in Ukraine, it "would trigger a response in kind" from NATO. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan quickly clarified that Biden's remark did not mean the U.S. would respond with its own chemical weapons. A few days, later Biden said Russia's use of chemical weapons would trigger "a significant response" but refused to elaborate on what that might be.

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Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.

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