DefMin Dincu says chemical attack by Russia no public threat right now

Romania's Defence Minister Vasile Dincu said on Thursday that reports of a possible chemical attack by Russia in Ukraine were primarily a matter of concern, but he added that the Romanian authorities had no signs at the moment of such an attack, Agerpres reports.

He was asked by Digi 24 private broadcaster what the information from the Romanian authorities shows, related to the worries about a chemical attack by Russia voiced by the US President, Joe Biden, and the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg.

"It is a matter of concern, first and foremost. We have no signs of a chemical attack at this time. For the time being, both parties to the conflict, both the Ukrainians and the Russian Federation, are accusing each other of using chemical weapons. The Russians have already started with the idea that the Ukrainians are using such weapons. If you remember, at the beginning of their conflict in Crimea and when they started the attack in the Donbas they claimed that the Ukrainians used chemical weapons there. Highly unlikely; that has not been proven. But there is this rhetoric on the part of the Russian Federation that they will use what they call a kind of strategic defence in nuclear or chemical province. We must be prepared for that, but we do not believe that at this moment it is a threat to the population...," said Dincu.

The minister explained that NATO has now considered facilitating elements for defence in the event of a chemical war.

"First of all, for Ukrainians to defend themselves, because it is about them. These rumour about the cloud coming from the bombings in Ukraine, the toxic cloud coming to Romania are social media fabrications, there is no such thing, they are fake news, but in this instance, we've obviously started to prioritise our special priorities, to review the plan in the event of a chemical attack in the neighbourhood. We've been doing these things for two or three weeks now, we've started reviewing all plans, but that means we're on the lookout. This is not an alarm yet. It is a signal that NATO is giving out, a political signal and a diplomatic signal, trying to deter Russia from doing so. So right now, there are no chemical attacks, and I don't think we should be afraid of that. We are ready to train the population in such case and to have a plan for this area, which has been active for a long time, but I tell you: it is only a hypothesis. That is not a calculable probability (...). No, people should not worry right now, because it is almost like in the case of a nuclear attack, of a hypothetical nuclear attack. (...) It is a way of mutual deterrence that has been used," said Dincu.

He added that the population should rather listen to what the authorities say and what the media sources who take points of view from the authorities say.

"And I think we can be calm. At the moment, there are no worries for a chemical or, let's say, marine mine attack," Dincu said.