Kyiv: Following the reports making rounds in international media and fear expressed by several nations that Russia is making plans to use chemical weapons on Ukraine,  the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has expressed concerns over the possible use of chemicals weapons in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol.

Ukrainian battalion Azov, with commonly recognized neo-Nazi ideology, accused the Russian forces of having used a poisonous chemical substance against its fighters in Mariupol. 

"The Secretariat is concerned by the recent unconfirmed report of chemical weapons use in Mariupol, which has been carried in the media over the past 24 hours," the OPCW spokesperson said. 

The UN chemical weapons watchdog said that both Russia and Ukraine had alerted it to threats of the use of toxins as weapons in the conflict. Their letters were shared with all 193 member states. OPCW continues to closely monitor the situation in Ukraine, the spokesperson added.

 "Under the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Secretariat remains ready to assist any State Party upon its request, in case of use or threat of use of chemical weapons," the statement read. 

Russia has accused Ukrainian troops of plotting false-flag operations in the east, including a mass poisoning in Avdiivka in the Donetsk region and an attack on a huge chlorine tank in the Kharkiv region. Russia and Ukraine joined The Hague-based organization in the late 1990s, thereby committing to never develop, stockpile or use chemical weapons.

Meanwhile,  as Russia continues the war against Ukraine, the Biden administration too has continued to offer military and financial support to Ukraine to fight against the Russian forces. 

The Biden administration has now announced that it will grant an additional $750 million in security assistance for Ukraine as soon as Wednesday. The media reported citing two sources familiar with the matter, said that the Biden administration is currently determining what mix of military equipment to send to Ukraine.