An investigation by RFE/RL’s Schemes unit has exposed how Russia is producing and deploying RG-Vo chemical grenades in Ukraine, despite international bans and ongoing sanctions.
The grenades, which release toxic gases, have been increasingly used by Russian forces since late 2023. Survivors describe the effects as unbearable: “It burns, your eyes tear, your face burns. You can’t breathe—once you try, you start coughing immediately.”
🔴 How they are made:
- Produced by the Russian Scientific Research Institute for Applied Chemistry (NIIPH) near Moscow.
- NIIPH is part of Rostec, Russia’s state defense conglomerate.
- Imports red phosphorus from Chinese suppliers (Yunnan Phosphorus, Dongguan Haofei) despite sanctions.
- Red phosphorus can be converted into white phosphorus, a weapon banned in populated areas.
- Components also sourced domestically from Russian companies not under Western sanctions.
🔴 Deployment in the field:
- Grenades marked RG-Vo (ручная граната – вещество отравляющее), meaning “hand grenade – toxic substance.”
- Delivered by drones and thrown into Ukrainian trenches, bunkers, and civilian areas.
- Units 114th and 136th Russian Brigades identified using them in Donetsk and Kharkiv.
- U.S. confirmed Russia has also used chloropicrin, a chemical agent prohibited under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
🔴 Impact on soldiers:
- Causes severe breathing problems, disorientation, uncontrollable tears, burning sensation.
- Leaves soldiers vulnerable to follow-up Russian assaults.
- At least 6 Ukrainian troops killed directly by RG-Vo gas exposure; over 10,000 chemical attacks recorded since 2022.
🔴 Global response:
- U.S., EU, UK have sanctioned NIIPH and associated suppliers, but loopholes remain.
- EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas: “Russia is using chemical weapons more frequently—its goal is maximum pain and suffering for Ukraine.”
- Ukraine demands stricter sanctions on Chinese suppliers and a stronger role for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
This is a clear violation of international law and a war crime. Russia denies using chemical weapons, but its own pro-war bloggers and state media (RT) have showcased RG-Vo grenades as “effective new weapons.”
