Russia arms 'kamikaze' drones with chemical weapons, Ukraine says

Russian forces have deployed Shahed-type "kamikaze" drones carrying toxic substances to attack Ukraine, the Center for Countering Disinformation at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council said on April 16.

Russia has been intensifying its use of chemical agents on the battlefield in Ukraine, with Kyiv recording over 6,000 cases of use of munitions containing hazardous chemicals between February 2023 and 2025.

A capsule with CS gas, a riot control agent, has been found in one of the Russian drones, the center said, adding it had verified the information with Ukraine's security services and the State Emergency Service.

CS gas, also referred to as tear gas, is typically used as a crowd-control agent by law enforcement agencies around the world and is less lethal than other chemical weapons. Its battlefield use is nevertheless banned under the 1925 Geneva Protocol.

"Russian forces may scatter the capsules with poisonous substances to cause harm," the center said on Telegram. At the same time, the agency noted that claims circulating in the media that the drones themselves are coated with poisonous substances have not been confirmed.

Since the beginning of the all-out war, Ukraine's radiation, chemical, and biological intelligence units have been monitoring and recording the use of hazardous chemicals in attacks.

Ukraine struck back at Russia's use of illegal chemical weapons in December 2024, when the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) assassinated Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of the Russian Armed Forces' radiation, chemical, and biological defense troops.