Russian foreign ministry says Ukraine repeatedly dropped white phosphorus from drones

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MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia said on Wednesday that Ukraine had repeatedly dropped white phosphorus munitions from drones in September, but Kyiv denied it had used such weapons and said it was Moscow which had used prohibited chemical substances on the battlefield.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said law enforcement agencies had evidence of the use of such munitions by Ukraine, but she did not provide details.

“The law enforcement agencies of our country, together with the Russian Defence Ministry, have received irrefutable evidence of the repeated use of white phosphorus ammunition dropped from drones by the armed forces of Ukraine in September,” Zakharova said.

Ukraine, which has accused Russia of using phosphorus in the war, said Zakharova’s statement was false and accused Russia of using prohibited chemical substances on the battlefield.

“The Russian accusations are false and nonsensical,” foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi told Reuters in a written statement.

“Ukraine has always been and continues to be a reliable participant in multilateral regimes for the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and it faithfully complies with the international obligations stemming from their provisions.”

(Reporting by Reuters in Moscow and Kyiv; editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Christina Fincher)