The United States is planning a “false flag” operation in Ukraine using highly toxic and banned substances to blame it on Moscow, a Russian commander revealed on Tuesday.
Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, Commander of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops, cited remarks by former US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan claiming that Russian troops "plan to use chemical weapons in the area of the special military operation.”
The statement was made last week at a conference held by a non-governmental American organization on the events of the Ukraine conflict.
"We regard this information as the intention of the US itself and its accomplices to conduct a provocation in Ukraine using toxic chemicals," said Kirillov.
He warned that the Russian Defense Ministry will identify and punish the true culprits in case of incitement from the Americans to use chemical weapons in the Ukraine war in hope that amid the hostilities it will not be possible to properly investigate the chemical attack provocations.
“We warn that in case of provocations with the use of toxic chemicals, we will identify and punish the true culprits,” he said.
“They assume that, given there was a combat operation underway, the international community would not manage to organize an efficient investigation. As a result, the real organizers and perpetrators would be able to avoid responsibility and the blame would be put on Russia,” the Russian commander added.
According to Kirillov, earlier this month, a train carrying a cargo of poisonous chemicals arrived in the city of Kramatorsk in the Ukraine-controlled area of Donbas consisting of eight sealed boxes in-scripted with the sign “BZ” along with a chemical hazard sign.
BZ, short for 3-Quinuclidinyl benzilate, is an odorless and bitter-tasting military incapacitating agent which can remain in the air for three weeks and is extremely persistent in soil and water and on most surfaces.
“The cargo was placed on US-made armored vehicles, which, as part of the convoy, left for the line of contact,” said the general.
“The fact that toxic chemicals and protective means were delivered simultaneously demonstrates an attempt to perform large-scale provocations with the use of BZ combat psychoactive substances in the course of the conflict (in Ukraine)."