Vladimir Putin has been accused of using banned white phosphorus weapons in Ukraine amid fears he could be on the verge of using chemical weapons.
US President Joe Biden said Putin is becoming increasingly desperate with his “back to the wall” over his protracted invasion.
Biden said recent Kremlin propaganda alleging that the US and Ukraine have chemical or biological weapons is a clear sign that Moscow is “considering using both.”
A residential building after a rocket attack against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region last week.
Elsewhere, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has repeatedly refused to rule out the possibility that Russia would consider using nuclear weapons, telling CNN that it could do so if there was an “existential threat to our country.”
The Ukrainian authorities have accused Putin of using white phosphorus munitions in Kramatorsk.
Although this substance is not strictly considered a chemical weapon, it burns violently and can cause horrific injuries, and its use against civilians is a war crime.
Human Rights Watch states that incendiary weapons are “among the most brutal” in modern warfare, as they inflict “lifelong suffering on human beings”.
Oleksiy Biloshitsky, deputy chief of police in Kyiv, wrote on Facebook: “Another use of phosphorus munitions in Kramatorsk.”
Shell-damaged buildings during the ongoing Russian attack on Ukraine in Kramatorsk, Ukraine
He shared a video of a burning chemical-like substance that Russian troops are already accused of using in the cities of Lutsk and Popasna.
“What we are seeing is an almost desperate attempt by the Russians to gain momentum and try to turn the tide of events in their favor,” a Defense Department spokesman said.
The Russian advance was halted by stronger than expected Ukrainian resistance, with Putin reportedly losing 10,000 soldiers and some of them retreating.
Speaking to business leaders in Washington, Biden said: “Putin has his back against the wall.
“Now he is talking about the new false flags he is setting up, including claiming that we have biological weapons in America and also chemical weapons in Europe, is simply not true.
“They also suggest that Ukraine has biological and chemical weapons in Ukraine. This is a clear sign that he is considering using both.”
Earlier this month, the president warned Putin that he would pay a “high price” if Russia used chemical weapons.
And Boris Johnson said the Kremlin’s chemical attack would be “straight out of their script.”
He added: “You saw it in Syria. You saw it even in the UK,” referring to the 2018 Salisbury poisonings, when Moscow was accused of targeting former spy Sergei Skripal with the Novichok nerve agent.
Vladimir Putin (pictured) has been accused of using banned white phosphorus weapons in Ukraine amid fears he could be on the verge of using chemical weapons.
Daniel M. Gerstein, a senior US policy researcher, said Putin “certainly” can manufacture chemical weapons such as sarin and nerve agents.
“Zarin is a chemical formula and there is no reason why he couldn’t do it. We also saw him use Novichok more than once,” he said, referring to the 2020 assassination attempts on Skripal and Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny.
“It can be very effective. You will see people get very sick and die without medical intervention.”
Dr. Gerstein said Putin may also have used a synthetic opioid called carfentanil, a weapon previously used during the 2002 Moscow theater siege in which some 40 Chechen rebels and 130 of their hostages were killed.
However, others have said that the possibility of using chemical weapons is unlikely. Former military intelligence officer Philip Ingram said that Putin is likely to “arrange an accident” at one of the Ukrainian nuclear plants.
And Sir Tony Brenton, the former British ambassador to Russia, said Putin would refuse to use them because of the danger posed by his own troops on the ground.
After the end of the Cold War, Russia agreed to destroy its chemical weapons, but Moscow has since been accused of not fully disclosing the size of its stockpile.
Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia would use nuclear weapons only if its very existence was threatened.
The comment, coming almost four weeks after Russia moved troops into Ukraine, comes amid Western fears that the conflict there could escalate into a full-blown nuclear war.
“We have a concept of internal security, and it is publicly available. You can read all the reasons for the use of nuclear weapons,” Peskov said. “So if it is an existential threat to our country, then it can be used in accordance with our concept.”
“There are no other reasons mentioned in this text,” he said, referring to the concept of the country’s security.
Peskov’s comment came after seasoned TV presenter and CNN interviewer Christiane Amanpour nudged him about whether he is “convinced or certain” that Putin would not use the nuclear option in the Ukrainian context.
Peskov, who is a longtime ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, did not specify what Russia considers an existential threat.
While the possibility of a Western invasion of Russia is unthinkable, the Kremlin has demanded that the NATO alliance withdraw troops from its eastern borders and rule out the possibility of Ukraine joining the group.
Meanwhile, devastating Western sanctions have caused the ruble to plummet and hurt the Russian economy.