The media has largely ignored a disturbing trend: Russia is openly using chemical weapons against Ukraine. Ukraine’s army support services say Russia has carried out 4,800 chemical attacks against its troops since Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s invasion. Kyiv has counted a resulting 3 deaths and 2,000 hospitalizations.
Moscow is not the only culprit increasingly turning to nonconventional weaponry: Iran, Syria, China, North Korea, and Burma all possess chemical weapons programs. The United States has failed to effectively deter, counter, and penalize chemical weapons development and use. The incoming Trump administration must prioritize new penalties against states that dare violate the global antichemical weapons norm.
In April 2024, the State Department reported Russia was attacking Ukrainian troops with gas grenades containing riot-control agents, which are…
