Contents tagged with OPCW
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Traces of banned tear gas found in Ukraine combat zone, OPCW reports
Experts from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) have found traces of tear gas in samples taken from trenches in the combat zone in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Traces of the gas, known as CS (chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile or "Lilac" gas), which is banned for use in warfare, were detected in all three samples obtained near the village of Ilyinka and provided by the Ukrainian side. The samples included both a grenade found in the trench and the soil, according to …
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Russia threatens to withdraw from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Russia may withdraw from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), said Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya, RIA Novosti reports.
Established in the late 1990s under the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW, according to a Russian diplomat, is "losing credibility" and becoming "a place for rubber stamping decisions on undesirable regimes."
Earlier, the OPCW confirmed the poisoning with Novichok nerve agent of Sergei Skripal and his daughter in 201 …
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Russia demands Germany hand over data on Navalny poisoning within 10 days
The Russian Permanent Mission to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) sent a note to its German counterparts demanding that all information on Alexei Navalny’s poisoning case be passed on, reported the mission’s press service.
"On September 23, the Russian Permanent Mission sent a note to the German Permanent Mission to the OPCW with a demand to the German side to give us exhaustive information on Nanalny’s case, in particular, the results of analyses, biomaterials …
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Russian diplomatic mission in The Hague suspected of coordinating hacker attack on Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
A senior diplomat from the Russian embassy in The Hague is suspected of coordinating a hacker attack on the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW, headquartered in The Hague). As reported on Monday, December 3, by the French newspaper Le Monde citing the Dutch press and its own sources, the former second secretary of Russia’s diplomatic mission, Konstantin Bakhtin, is considered "one of the organizers of this special operation by Russian special services."
Le Monde writes …
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Russia and the West disagree about Syria chemical attack investigations
A conflict has arisen between Russia and western countries concerning the plans to give the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) the authority to identify who is to blame for the chemical attacks. Russia’s representatives say that these plans contravene the Chemical Weapons Convention.
At a conference of OPCW participant countries on Monday, November 19, Russian permanent representative to the OPCW Alexander Shulgin said that the organization’s mandate does not imply an …
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EU prepares to impose 'chemical' sanctions on Russia
At today’s session in Luxembourg, the Council of the European Union intends to ratify a new sanction regime against the physical and legal entities responsible for the use and proliferation of chemical weapons. The new sanctions were proposed by the UK and France following the incidents in Syria and in Salisbury which Russia is held responsible for.
The drafting of the new restrictions began at an EU summit at the end of July which was held directly after an extraordinary session of the …
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Dutch Defense Minister admits there is a cyber war with Russia
Interfax reports that, while speaking on Dutch national television, the head of the Netherland’s Ministry of Defense, Ank Bijleveld agreed with the statement that her country is conducting a cyber war with Russia.
When asked if the current situation between the Netherlands and Russia could be described as a cyber war, she replied, "Yes, that is the case."
Bijleveld added that after the detention of Russian intelligence officers, the Dutch Ministry of Defense decided to increase its cyber …
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President of the European Commission not ready for a ‘huge fight’ with Russia
In an interview with the Austrian newspaper Der Standard, the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker stated that the European Union should maintain a dialogue with Russia even after the Russians were accused of cyber-attacks.
"Despite the increasing dissatisfaction with Russia nowadays, we should again realize that for reasons of security architecture, we should maintain a dialogue with Russia and partly work together,” Juncker said.
"I am not ready for a huge fight with …
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Germany accuses Russia of cyberattacks
Germany supports the conclusions reached by British and Dutch intelligence that Russia is responsible for a series of cyberattacks against international organizations and institutions, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert reported on Friday.
According to him, Berlin “has complete faith” in the results of the investigation carried out by the Netherlands and UK, which shows that Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) is behind the hacks.
The day before, Dutch Defense Minister Ank …
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European Union prepares sanctions in response to Skripal poisoning case
Ambassadors of 28 EU countries have approved sanctions mechanism against countries suspected of using chemical weapons in the EU.
The package of restrictive measures, which Britain demanded after the poisoning of ex-colonel GRU Sergey Skripal and his daughter Julia in Salisbury, was agreed on Wednesday at the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the EU (COREPER) meeting, TASS reports with reference to a diplomatic source in Brussels.
The mechanism will come into force after the approval …