Dutch and German intelligence agencies have gathered evidence of widespread Russian use of banned chemical weapons in Ukraine, including the dropping of a suffocating agent from drones to draw soldiers out of trenches so they could be shot, Reuters International News Agency reports.
The Dutch Defense Minister called for tougher sanctions against Moscow.
"The main conclusion is that we can confirm that Russia is intensifying its use of chemical weapons," he told Reuters.
"This escalation is concerning because it is part of a trend we have observed for several years now, where Russia's use of chemical weapons in this war is becoming more normalized, standardized and widespread."
Germany's BND foreign intelligence agency confirmed the findings, saying in a statement that it had received the evidence together with its Dutch counterparts. Reuters was first to report the intelligence.
The head of the Dutch Military Intelligence Agency (MIVD), Peter Reesink, said the conclusions followed " our independent intelligence, so we have observed it ourselves based on our own investigations ."
The United States first accused Russia of using chloropicrin, a chemical compound more toxic than riot control agents and first used by Germany during World War I, in May last year. Ukraine alleges thousands of cases of Russian use of chemical weapons.
Russia's defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this article. Russia has denied using illegal munitions and has blamed Ukraine for it. (A2 Televizion)
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