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Russia is allegedly littering Ukraine with anthrax-infected livestock, dumping cattle carcasses less than a mile away from residential areas in what Ukrainian officials have described as “biological terrorism.”
Occupying Russian authorities are placing the tainted carcasses in burial sites in Ukraine’s Kherson region, with as many as 50 locations reported — including 10 that are considered “particularly dangerous“ to the local population, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) reported.
“The deliberate or negligent creation of conditions for an anthrax outbreak is yet another crime committed by the aggressor state of Russia and constitutes an act of biological terrorism against civilians living in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine,” the agency said in a statement.
The infected livestock are being buried rather than properly incinerated at the sites in the southeastern region, including areas near the cities of Askania-Nova, Skadovsk, and Zaliznyi Port, Ukrainian officials said.
Some are less than a kilometer (0.6 miles) from residential areas.
Occupying Russian forces have failed to put up protective fencing or take other biosecurity measures to ensure that there is no spread of anthrax, a serious bacterial disease that can be fatal to humans.
The toxic anthrax spores can survive in soil for decades, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Inhaling anthrax is almost always fatal.
The DIU said it could not rule out the possibility that Russia created these hazardous sites “to stage a false-flag operation.”
“In addition to a potential kinetic strike on sites containing anthrax-contaminated animal burial grounds, such a scenario could also involve an information and propaganda campaign aimed at accusing Ukraine of developing or using so-called ‘biological’ weapons,” DIU said.
The alarming allegations come as Russia has ramped up its attacks on Ukraine, with new drone and missile strikes targeting the capital, Kyiv.
At least a dozen were killed in the city overnight Monday, officials said.
“These are residential buildings. Places where people slept and lived their ordinary lives,” said Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s City Military Administration in a post on Telegram.
Last week, a combined Russian attack killed at least 31 people in Kyiv.
Zelensky renewed calls for Western partners to bolster Ukraine’s air defenses, particularly by supplying more Patriot missiles — saying that failing to replenish them only emboldens Russia to prolong its four-year war.
English (US)