WHO preparing for chemical weapons use in Ukraine

The World Health Organization’s Europe head said in a press briefing Thursday that it is considering “all scenarios and making contingencies for different situations,” including chemical weapons as the Russian invasion of Ukraine unfolds.

The WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Henri Kluge said in prepared remarks from Lviv, Ukraine, on World Health Day, that “given the uncertainties of the current situation, there are no assurances that the war will not get worse.”

“WHO is considering all scenarios and making contingencies for different situations that could afflict the people of Ukraine, from the continued treatment of mass casualties, to chemical assaults,” he said.

He added that the organization would “be ready for any eventuality.”

The WHO incident manager in Ukraine, Heather Papowitz, said that the WHO has trained close to 1,500 health workers in Ukraine and provided guidelines and support in the event of a chemical attack or incident.

“Ukraine is an industrial country. So there’s chemical hazards throughout the country and these can be affected by the war and can be hit by different assaults. So what WHO does is to work with the health authorities and train them,” Papowitz added.

“So our role really is to work with the health sector, to train them, to give them the knowledge and tools that they need and protect the health of the people,” she said.

Kluge added that the WHO is working to keep health services operational in Ukraine.

He added that the WHO is committed to being in Ukraine in the short and long term, addressing both the country’s immediate health challenges and future reconstruction needs.

The WHO did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.

Kluge’s comments come a month after top U.S. and Ukrainian officials issued warnings and said they were bracing for Russia’s potential use of chemical weapons in the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Kyiv.

Questions over a possible chemical weapons attack by Russia emerged in March after the Kremlin accused the U.S. of housing biological weapons in Ukrainian territory — a statement the White House was quick to reject. The U.S. has warned that Russia may be making such claims to lay false pretexts for a potential chemical weapons attack.