Spanish police seized a total of 13 tons of banned chemicals, including “possible” chemical weapons precursors, bound for Russia on October 15, the national police announced.

Four suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure and charged with smuggling banned goods as they allegedly attempted to circumvent EU sanctions banning the shipment of dual-use chemicals to Russia.

“During the investigation, it was proven that internationally sanctioned chemicals, some of which may be chemical weapons precursors or nerve agents, had been exported in the past using this corporate structure” , indicated the national police and the tax administration in a press release. Reuters.

According to investigators, the unspecified chemicals were found in a shipping container in the port of Barcelona.

To smuggle the chemicals, the defendants created a Spanish company that would ship the sanctioned chemicals to a subsidiary in Moscow through front companies in Armenia and Kyrgyzstan.

A Kyiv Independent investigation The August report showed that Russia’s use of gas attacks is increasing. In January, 229 cases were recorded compared to 639 in June and 358 in July, according to the Ukrainian Army Support Forces, the branch of the military responsible for inspecting chemical warfare.

Since the beginning of Russialarge-scale invasion, Ukraine recorded more than 4,000 cases from Russian chemical agents used on Ukraine’s front line, including more than 3,100 cases reported since December 2023.

UK imposes sanctions on Russian forces over use of chemical weapons in Ukraine

The United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on Russian units involved in the use of chemical weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine, the country’s Foreign Ministry announced on October 8.