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Euronews has highlighted the role of Russia, a key ally of the Syrian regime, in transporting and exporting materials that could be used in the production of chemical weapons. On October 16, 2024, Spanish authorities seized raw materials intended for Russia that are commonly used in chemical weapons production. The report noted Russia’s longstanding alliance with the Syrian regime, which has clearly employed chemical weapons against its own population.
The news agency referenced the Syrian regime’s repeated use of sarin gas against civilians, despite international efforts to dismantle Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal.
Russia has been accused by several countries of violating the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), despite being a signatory by allegedly deploying chemical weapons in Ukraine, accusations Moscow has denied as baseless.
Russia’s Media Campaign and the (OPCW) Investigations
A British master’s thesis delved into Russia’s response to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) investigations into Syria’s chemical weapons use from 2013 to 2022. The thesis examined the strategic media campaign Russia launched to counter the OPCW’s findings, focusing on the central question: “How does the Russian information campaign, in relation to chemical weapons investigations during the Syrian war, 2013-2022, navigate the chemical weapons standard to further its geopolitical goals?”
A research paper published by the Syrian Association for Citizens’ Dignity (SACD) in November 2022 argued that Russia had achieved significant military and political gains in Syria following its direct intervention in 2013. The paper also described Russia’s role as a “fictitious guarantor” in overseeing the Syrian regime’s dismantling of its chemical weapons stockpile. However, multiple strikes involving chemical weapons occurred afterward, presumably with Russian knowledge or consent.
U.S. State Department Findings on Russia’s Role in Syria
In its annual report published on April 4, 2024, the U.S. State Department stated that Russian military forces actively helped the Syrian regime cover up its use of chemical weapons after the notorious Ghouta attack on April 7, 2018. The report further noted that Russia, alongside Syria and Iran, maintained a joint operations room that coordinated military strategy in Syria, where the use of chemical weapons by Syrian forces was widespread.
Officers affiliated with Syrian regime forces were convicted of crimes against humanity, specifically for their involvement in chemical weapons attacks. One notable figure is Suhail al-Hassan, the only Syrian officer to appear alongside President Bashar al-Assad and Russian President Vladimir Putin during Putin’s visit to the Hmeimim military base on the Syrian coast.
Russia’s Commitment to the Chemical Weapons Convention
Russia has been a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention since 1993, with the treaty entering into force in 1997 under the auspices of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The convention, which has 193 member states, aims for the total elimination of chemical weapons and is widely regarded as one of the most successful disarmament treaties in history, effectively eliminating an entire category of weapons of mass destruction.
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