Russia uses dangerous chemicals primarily in areas where it concentrates its greatest efforts and conceals the use of such means with "dense" fire impact, making detection and sampling for further investigation impossible, Head of the environmental safety and civil defense department of the radiation, chemical, biological protection department of the Support Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Artem Vlasiuk said.

"In total, since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, radiation, chemical, biological reconnaissance units, including the Support Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine command, have recorded more than 4,800 cases of the use of dangerous chemicals," he said at a press conference on Friday in Kyiv.

Including tear gases, the so-called CS and CN, which are usually used by security units: police, national guard of different countries, including Russia, to combat riots, Vlasiuk said.

He noted that the use of such means during combat operations against personnel of the Defense Forces of Ukraine is a violation of international law.

At the same time, the Armed Forces of Ukraine said this is not a chemical weapon, but a separate type of damage.

"It is used by units of the Russian Armed Forces, in our opinion and the analysis conducted, in those areas where the Russians concentrate their efforts and hide the use of such means with dense artillery, missile and bomb and other fire impact, which makes it impossible to identify such means, that is, the use of dangerous chemical substances on the battlefield, and also makes it impossible to take samples for further investigation and hold Russia accountable for violating international law," the Armed Forces of Ukraine said. The Command of the Support Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that in total, about 170 such uses were recorded last month.

"Currently, the intensity of the use of tear gas grenades of the K-51 and RG-Vo type, which are in service with the Russian Armed Forces, is decreasing somewhat, since the temperature is falling and the effectiveness and durability of smoke from the explosion of such means is falling somewhat," Vlasiuk said.