About chemical weapons: – – Beyond claims

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Lieutenant Colonel Geir Hågen Karlsen at the Norwegian Defense College says the Russian allegations go back a long way, and have been part of their propaganda since the 50s.

– Russia has accused the United States of pursuing the development of chemical weapons in different countries for many years. The claim is of course completely beyond, says Karlsen to Dagbladet TV.

– Plague and cholera

According to Newsweek The allegations have been spread by, among others, the Russian state-owned news agency TASS. Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov was quoted as saying that Moscow had leaked information that destructive pathogens such as plague, anthrax, cholera and hare plague had been destroyed.

– We should all be aware that Russia may want to use biological or chemical weapons in Ukraine, or that they want to create a false image in order to use it. It is a clear pattern, wrote press secretary Jen Psaki Twitter night to Thursday.

She stressed that the United States does not develop or possess this type of weapon, and that such disinformation has been seen from the Russian side several times before.

– Will create enmity

A NATO official has also warned of serious concerns that Russia is now preparing the stage for the use of chemical or biological weapons in war-torn Ukraine, writes Wall Street Journal.

According to Newsweek, Chinese state media have also covered the Russian allegations.

Lieutenant Colonel Geir Hågen Karlsen believes the allegations are primarily aimed at the Russian population.

– To create more external enmity, and thus get the Russian population to support the government in Russia, and thus perhaps to a greater extent create acceptance around the costs and losses in the war, he explains.

– May damage the body

Major Stein Helge Kingsrød at the Norwegian Defense College explains that chemical weapons are a weapon that is banned through a number of conventions.

– It can either destroy the body by leading to suffocation, these are so-called suffocation remedies. It destroys the lung tissue when you breathe in, and examples here are chlorine gas or phosgene, says the major, who has a background from the engineering weapon in the Army, specializing in CBRN protection.

Chemical weapons are weapons that can occur in gaseous or liquid form – ie liquid or in the air, depending on the temperature, Kingsrød continues.

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Very deadly

In addition to asphyxiating agents, there are also nerve agents.

– That’s the most dangerous thing. It can destroy the nerve impulses in the body, and can cause paralysis of the respiratory and heart muscles, he says and adds:

– This is extremely toxic and only small doses can be fatal.

Norwegian weapons can end up in the wrong hands

Kingsrød says that this type of chemical weapon can both be inhaled via gas, or absorbed into the body via skin or mucous membranes.

There is also a third variant, according to the major:

– Skin warfare agents can cause burns to the skin, and examples here are mustard gas, says Kingsrød.

– It can both be used to kill people or soldiers, but can also help to deny enemy units in using a terrain, by laying out such a lasting chemical weapon in the area, he says, and says that it then works approximately. as a minefield.

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Used on Navalny

As for the Russian stockpile of such weapons, Kingsrød says that he has heard that it has been reduced after the Cold War.

– But how large an inventory and how large quantities they may have, I do not know, says the major and continues:

– But the country has the expertise to produce it, and we know that it has been used in poisoning of various defectors, in assassinations and murders.

Two things can trigger Putin

He cites Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny as an example here.

Navalny was poisoned with a nerve agent. He managed, but it was a demanding treatment, says Kingsrød.

If similar chemical weapons were used against a larger civilian population, the consequences would be very serious, he says.

– In densely populated areas, this will be a violation of all conventions and a complete disaster, says the major.

– Unlikely

Kingsrød explains that chemical weapons are developed in industrial production, and are not necessarily that difficult to produce.

– A modern industrial nation will be able to make it, but it requires expertise and facilities, especially when it comes to the most toxic substances. It can be very dangerous to handle, even for those who produce this, he says.

Kingsrød adds that he does not believe that Ukraine or Russia have chemical weapons ready for use in the war now, to an extent that affects the tactical battle in that it leads to significant military gains on the ground.

– Putin has no way out

The effect of such a thing possibly being used will probably first and foremost be directed at the strategic and political level. And then even small amounts can be effective, the major believes.

– It is unlikely that the regimes will go to that step, he says.

Kingsrød believes that the Russian motive for introducing such allegations may be an attempt to play the Ukrainian defense worse. He also points out that it may be to legitimize a form of use of force.

– They can start with, and justify a more aggressive warfare.

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