Citation

Castelvecchi D. Nature 2022; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1038/d41586-022-00948-0

PMID

35383299

Abstract

As Russia's invasion of Ukraine nears its 7th week, Western governments and independent observers continue to warn that Russia's military could escalate from indiscriminately bombing cities to using non-conventional warfare, in particular chemical weapons.

The Kremlin has denied any intention to use chemical weapons. But the Russian government has been linked over the past two decades with this type of attack. And concern over President Vladimir Putin's intentions spiked on 28 March, when The Wall Street Journal reported that envoys and mediators in Russia-Ukraine peace talks earlier in the month had been poisoned -- although at least one Ukrainian government source has reportedly denied the story.

Nature spoke to several analysts to explore the chances of chemical weapons being deployed in the war...

Language: en

Keywords

Government; Law; Politics