Two Dutch intelligence agencies say that Russia is increasing its use of prohibited chemical weapons in Ukraine including the World War I-era poison gas chloropicrin.

Dutch and German intelligence agencies have gathered evidence of widespread Russian use of banned chemical weapons in Ukraine, they said on Friday.

Dutch intelligence services, together with German intelligence, have found that Russia is systematically escalating the use of chemical weapons against Ukrainian forces, the Netherlands Military Intelligence (MIVD) reported on July 4.

Russia cannot afford to lose the war in Ukraine, China has warned. Wang Yi, China’s foreign minister, said Beijing does not want to see a Russian loss because of fears the United States would then shift its focus on to China.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi reportedly told the EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas on July 3 that the country cannot afford for Russia to lose the war in Ukraine amid fears the U.S. would shift focus towards Beijing,