Ukraine: "Russia Drops 'White Phosphorus' on Eastern Luhansk Region"... Concerns Over Mass Destruction

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Ukrainian side has claimed that Russian forces used the inhumane chemical weapon "white phosphorus" in Ukraine. As the war prolongs and the burden of Western sanctions increases, indiscriminate offensives by Russian forces continue, and if the use of white phosphorus is confirmed, international condemnation is expected to intensify.

On the 13th (local time), according to AFP, Oleksii Bilosytskyi, the police chief of Popasna city in Luhansk (Luhansk) province in eastern Ukraine, posted on Facebook, "The Russists are pouring white phosphorus on our village." The term "Russist" is a combination of "fascist," meaning extreme totalitarianist, and "Russia," and is used in Ukraine to refer to Russian forces.

Lyudmyla Denisova, Ukraine's parliamentary human rights commissioner, also claimed in an online statement that Russia used white phosphorus in Popasna the previous day and released related photos. She said, "The use of such weapons by Russian forces in civilian cities is a war crime violating the Rome Statute. It is a crime against human rights."

Major foreign media reported that Ukraine's claim that Russian forces used white phosphorus has not yet been fully verified. However, if proven true, international public opinion is expected to direct even stronger condemnation toward Russia. White phosphorus is a representative inhumane chemical weapon that induces mass casualties.

White phosphorus is a chemical weapon that widely disperses highly flammable "white phosphorus (Baekrin)" fragments around the target area. When the fragments come into contact with the human body, the flames are difficult to extinguish and burn intensely, causing extreme pain. Inhaling the smoke alone can be fatal. For these reasons, its use as a lethal weapon is prohibited under the Geneva Conventions.

Conversely, Russia claims that Ukrainian forces used white phosphorus. Earlier, on the 1st, the Russian Ministry of Defense and the pro-Russian separatist group Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) accused Ukraine of using white phosphorus.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.