LONDON (REUTERS) – Russia said on Wednesday (March 9) that the United States must explain what Moscow claims was a military biological programme in Ukraine – an allegation Washington has already dismissed as “absurd” misinformation.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova said evidence of the alleged programme had been uncovered by Russia during what it calls its military operation in Ukraine, which its forces invaded on Feb. 24. It involved deadly pathogens including plague and anthrax, she added.
A Ukrainian presidential spokesman said: “Ukraine strictly denies any such allegation”.
In response to earlier Russian allegations about the purported military biological programme in Ukraine, a Pentagon spokesman said on Tuesday: “This absurd Russian misinformation is patently false.”
Ms Zakharova said Russia had documents showing that the Ukrainian Health Ministry had ordered the destruction of samples of plague, cholera, anthrax and other pathogens after Feb 24.
“We can already conclude that in Ukrainian biological laboratories in direct proximity to the territory of our country, development of components of biological weapons was being carried out,” she said.
Read More: Russia says US has biolabs with plague and anthrax in Ukraine, US calls claim absurd
