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Defense OneApr 25
Spain: Police Seize Russia-Bound Chemicals
Above: Mossos police officers are seen on surveillance duties at the Port Olimpic in Barcelona, Spain, on September 1, 2024. Image copyright: Paco Freire/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
The Facts
Spanish police said Tuesday that they confiscated 13 tons of banned chemicals bound for Russia, some of which they said may possibly have been intended for usage as chemical weapons.
Police further confirmed the arrest of four individuals they say belong to a criminal smuggling network trying to illegally bypass Western sanctions against Russia.
The Spin
Anti-Russia narrative
It's terrifyingly sad that Russia, which took part in the chemical weapons prohibition treaty over 30 years ago, has decided to reinstitute such atrocious warfare against the Ukrainian people. Moscow is already known to have allegedly used a chemical agent, showing that Putin will violate even his own country's human rights laws to destroy Ukraine.
Pro-Russia narrative
When the West falsely accuses Russia of using chemical weapons, it's not ironic or hypocritical, but rather a distraction from their supply of deadly materials to Ukraine. While Moscow destroyed its chemical weapons stockpile years ago and still adheres to the prohibition treaty, the UK just recently sent Kyiv riot control gases to use against Russian troops, which is prohibited by international law.