MOSCOW
Russia on Thursday accused Ukraine of plotting a provocation at an ammonia facility in the Donetsk region that would allow Kyiv to later blame Moscow for a man-made catastrophe, a media report claimed.
At a press briefing in Moscow, Alexey Rtishchev, head of the Russian Armed Forces’ Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Protection Troops, claimed Ukrainian forces are preparing to destroy an ammonia distribution facility in Novotroitsk, a Class-1 hazardous site, which he said could release more than 550 tons of liquid ammonia into the environment.
"On July 3, 2025, operational monitoring confirmed that Ukrainian military personnel had installed antenna-mast equipment at a major ammonia distribution hub near Novotroitsk," Rtishchev said. "This facility is a Class-1 hazardous site, and its destruction could result in the release of more than 550 tons of liquid ammonia."
He warned that the goal of such an action would be to blame Russia for deliberately causing an industrial disaster and inflict reputational damage. Russian forces are monitoring the situation closely, he added.
Rtishchev further asserted that using a high-risk facility for military purposes violates international humanitarian law and claimed the alleged plan was part of a “long-planned tactic developed by Kyiv with Western backing,” which he described as a “chemical belt” strategy -- placing and detonating toxic chemical containers in combat zones where Russian troops operate.