Topline
An ammonia gas leak in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sumy was detected early Monday as Russian forces continued to shell a chemical plant on the city’s outskirts, local authorities said, following concerns raised by Western officials that Russia may attempt to trigger an incident to justify the use of chemical weapons.
Key Facts
Sumy regional governor Dmytro Zhyvytsky reported the gas leak on his official Telegram channel, warning that an area of around 2.5 km (1.5 miles) has been impacted.
Zhyvytsky noted that there was no direct threat to the city of Sumy at the moment but noted that the direction of the wind puts the nearby town of Novoselytsya at risk.
Ukrainian emergency crews are currently working to contain the leak while the city’s residents are being advised to move to lower floors or basements as a precaution.
The Sumykhimprom plant, which is the source of the leak, lies on the outskirts of Sumy and has been a target of regular shelling by Russian troops in the past week, the Associated Press reports.
What To Watch For
While the severity of the leak is unclear, ammonia can be potentially lethal if inhaled in high enough doses. The gas has a distinctive pungent smell even at low concentrations (around 5 parts per million) while concentrations above 2,500 ppm can be fatal.
Crucial Quote
The ammonia gas leak does not constitute a chemical attack, but over the past few weeks, U.S. officials raised alarms that Russian forces may resort to using chemical weapons as they remained bogged down on the battlefield. “We believe that Moscow may be setting the stage to use a chemical weapon and then falsely blame Ukraine to justify escalating its attacks on the Ukrainian people,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier this month.
Further Reading
Ammonia leak reported at chemicals plant in Ukraine's besieged Sumy (Reuters)
