"Fear has big eyes". Ukrainian Armed Forces do not confirm the use of poison-treated Shahed by Russians

The information about the use of a Shahed drone by the Russian occupiers, which was sprayed with poisonous substances, has not been confirmed. According to the correspondent of LIGA.net, about this said at a briefing colonel Artem Vlasyuk, head of the Civil Protection Department of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Directorate of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Support Command.

"We had one case, at least one, four months ago, I think, maybe even a little earlier: the State Emergency Service started spreading information that a Shahed had some poisonous substance on its surface after being shot down – there were several victims, someone was very severely poisoned and hospitalized," the military said.

However, Vlasyuk emphasized, when the Armed Forces tried to confirm this information through hospitals and official communication channels with the SES, "it turned out that this [information about such a Shahed] is a consequence of the fact that fear has big eyes."

"That's why the last case was not confirmed," said the colonel.

It should be noted that no such information could be found on the SES resources, but in April 2025, the Poltava region's emergency workers denied information that the rescuers allegedly received chemical poisoning after inspecting the crash site of the Shahed.

Vlasyuk also added that, of course, the occupiers can use "any means in any design, equipment, etc." but stressed that it is necessary to soberly assess the situation and confirm such data.

"We sometimes put ourselves in a situation where the information seems to be one hundred percent accurate. But you know that the enemy is very skillful at using the 20 to 80 formula: a little bit of truth, just one and a half to two words, and the rest is absolutely clear what it is about (is a lie – Ed.)," the colonel summarized.

• In April, the South Operational Command reported that a capsule containing CS, a toxic substance used as tear gas, was found in one of the downed Shaheds.