Russia’s Ministry of Defense reported that the Ukrainian special services had allegedly mined a chlorine storage facility in Kharkiv region. According to the Russian military official, the depot contains 120 tonnes of chlorine, set to be blown up in order to allegedly accuse Russia of «creating a chemical disaster that killed local residents.»
In fact, there are no chlorine storage facilities at the Khimprom enterprise in Pervomaisky, since it ceased to exist years ago. This information was confirmed in the City Council. The company has been literally out of business for 15 years and the site is pretty much just a pile of rubble. This was confirmed by city authorities. According to the YouControl watchdog, Khimprom was indeed declared bankrupt and has not been conducting economic activity since May 2013. The lack of infrastructure for storing of any significant amounts of chemicals is also evidenced by fresh date from Google Maps. Satellite images clearly show that the premises are a ruin, with only the remnants of Khimprom facilities in place. This is confirmed by photos users have posted across social networks. This means that the Russian assertion that the SBU allegedly planted mines at “Khimprom chlorine storage facilities in Pervomaisky” is yet another fake report, supported by no evidence whatsoever. Obviously, in this way the Russian government is trying to further aggravate the situation and intimidate its citizens, inciting hate toward the mythical “Ukrainian Nazis.” Another pretext for such allegations may be Russia’s preparation for an act of sabotage on the territory of Ukraine, aimed to accuse the Kyiv government and pursue the effort to dehumanize Ukrainians.