Sybiha calls for creation of effective instruments for compliance with Geneva Protocol on prohibition of chemical and bacteriological weapons
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Protocol on the Prohibition of the Use of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or Other Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare (Geneva Protocol), Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha recalled that over the years of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Federation has systematically undermined the global consensus on the inadmissibility of weapons of mass destruction.
“Tomorrow, June 17th, marks the 100th anniversary of the Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use of Asphyxiating, Poisonous, or Other Gases, as well as Bacteriological Methods of Warfare (the Geneva Protocol). This document established the international legal ban on chemical and biological weapons, demonstrating global consensus on the inadmissibility of weapons of mass destruction. Unfortunately, a century later, Russia continues to undermine this consensus. Between February 2023 and May 2025, Russian occupying forces used 9,388 munitions containing hazardous chemicals. A total of 2,509 Ukrainian service members sought medical assistance for chemical exposure symptoms of varying severity,” the minister said on X Monday.
Sybiha noted that Russia’s disregard for international norms, as well as its use of chemical and other prohibited hazardous substances in Ukraine and other countries, requires a “decisive response” from the international community.
“The perpetrators of such crimes must face justice. Russia, as a state, must be held accountable. International law must be law, not a declaration. And it is up to the international community to make everyone uphold it. As we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Protocol, we call for the establishment of new tools to enforce such fundamental documents and punish those who violate them. This is the only way to put an end to such crimes and ensure they never repeat again,” the foreign minister stressed.