Luhansk leader poisoned, Russia accuses US and Ukraine of violating Chemical Weapons Convention
Leonid Pasechnik, head of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), suffered a serious phenolic compound poisoning in December 2023, said chief of Russian forces for radiation, chemical and biological protection, Igor Kirillov. Furthermore, Kirillov stated that in August 2022, the Russia-installed head of the Kherson regional administration, Saldo, was poisoned with ricin, a substance found in biomedical samples.
Kirillov highlighted other poisoning incidents involving senior officials, noting ongoing investigations. "All documents at our disposal confirming USA and Ukraine's violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention have been submitted to the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for due legal process," he added.
Kirillov expressed the view that the Russian Federation had essentially been 'pushed out' of the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
In November last year, Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence alleged that the wife of Kirill Budanov (the department's head at the time), Marianna Budanova, was poisoned with heavy metals. The Ukrainian Military Intelligence spokesperson, Andriy Yusov, made an official statement, saying, "Marianna Aleksandrovna Budanova was indeed poisoned with heavy metals. She is currently undergoing the final stages of treatment," and promised additional details would be disclosed by the intelligence service at a later date.