UKRAINE has asked the global chemical weapons watchdog to investigate the alleged use of banned toxic munitions by Russia against its forces, officials confirmed today.

A formal request was submitted by Kiev to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague, calling for an independent investigation.

The move follows statements by Dutch and German intelligence agencies, who claimed to have evidence of widespread use of illegal chemical weapons by Russian forces along the front line.

The OPCW previously established a similar investigative team in 2018 to probe chemical weapons use in Syria. It found that both government forces and Isis militants had used banned agents during the civil war, though dissenting opinions alleged political interference.

The United States first accused Russia in May last year of using chloropicrin — a highly toxic chemical compound initially deployed by Germany in World War I — as a weapon in Ukraine.

The OPCW, which has 193 member states, said last year that accusations from both Russia and Ukraine were “insufficiently substantiated.” 

Both sides have consistently denied using chemical weapons since the conflict escalated in February 2022. They have both used weapons widely banned internationally, including anti-personnel landmines.

The watchdog has not yet issued an official response to the new request.

At least three Ukrainian deaths have been linked to chemical weapons, while more than 2,500 battlefield casualties have reported symptoms consistent with chemical exposure, according to Dutch and Ukrainian authorities.

The request came as the US confirmed it would resume some weapons shipments to Ukraine, following a temporary pause announced last week.

During a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Donald Trump said he was “not happy” with Russian President Vladimir Putin and that Ukraine was “getting hit very hard.”

He said the US would send primarily “defensive weapons” to support Ukraine’s war effort.

Among the shipments previously put on hold were Patriot air defence systems and precision artillery shells.

The White House said the pause had been made “to put America’s interests first,” citing a Department of Defence review of global military support commitments.

Mr Trump’s typical flip-flopping followed days of deadly Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, including Kiev. 

The Pentagon confirmed the shift, saying: “At President Trump’s direction, the Department of Defence is sending additional defensive weapons to Ukraine to ensure the Ukrainians can defend themselves while we work to secure a lasting peace and ensure the killing stops.”