In Poltava region, a leak of a dangerous chemical substance occurred from damaged containers at a critical infrastructure facility as a result of a Russian attack. This was reported by the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Poltava region.
Specialists from a radiation, chemical and biological protection group carried out work to seal the damaged containers and leak sites. They managed to eliminate the threat.
The State Emergency Service did not specify which dangerous chemical substance leaked and where the attack occurred, but a video published shows a container labeled "methanol".
What happened at the site
The head of the Poltava regional military administration, Vitaliy Dyakivnych, reported on Telegram that on the morning of August 2, Russian drones hit two industrial enterprises and struck a critical infrastructure facility. There were temporary emergency power and gas supply cutoffs.
Methanol is a toxic and highly flammable substance that can cause severe poisoning, damage to the nervous system, loss of vision, and at high concentrations poses a threat to life.
Broader context
- In January 2026, The Times reported that the prolonged war could push Putin to use chemical weapons against Ukraine.
- At the beginning of the full-scale war, the CIA director believed that American intelligence should prepare for the possibility that Russia could potentially use chemical weapons in Ukraine.
Attacks on industrial facilities with dangerous chemical substances create a risk of localized contamination regardless of the type of ammunition used. The question is whether such infrastructure will become a regular target of strikes as the energy system becomes depleted.
