Vira Perun, News Author
Russia continues to spread misinformation about weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine. In particular, Russian propaganda media "switched" to the topic of biological weapons.
This is said in a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, posted on the agency's Facebook page.
The Ministry of Health Care of Ukraine refuted the information spread by the Russian propaganda media about the so-called "emergency cleaning of traces of the US military-funded military-biological program" and "destruction of hazardous pathogens." The Ministry of Health Care of Ukraine also emphasized that there are no US laboratories in our country," said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs representative.
The ministry emphasized that Russia's military aggression has significantly weakened Ukraine's national biological defense system. The Russian occupiers, having seized Ukrainian research institutions and practical institutions of sanitary and epidemiological profile on the territory of the temporarily occupied Crimea, as well as the temporarily occupied territories in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, do not provide information on the condition and location of pathogens stored at these sites. These pathogens were used during the development of vaccines and for diagnostic purposes for the population of Ukraine.
"In this context, any attempts of Russia to take over biological materials are hazardous and could mean a threat to both Ukraine's security and the security of Europe as a whole. Russia's public statements about the so-called development of biological weapons in Ukraine should be seen as misinformation and provocation." noted in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ukrainian diplomats have addressed the international community to increase the pressure on Russia to make it comply with its international obligations. We are talking about the Convention on the Prohibition of Biological Weapons. Russia is also required not to create additional security risks associated with biological agents.
"In the context of the military invasion of Ukrainian territory by the Russian troops, the Ukrainian government is making every effort to ensure reliable protection of all laboratories in the territories controlled by Ukraine," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed.
We should recall that on 7 March 2022, in Melitopil, occupiers seized a TV tower and radio towers. Mobile communication and the Internet are blocked in the city. This was informed by the mayor of Melitopil Ivan Fedorov. He addressed the citizens to question everything that is broadcasted in Melitopol on television and radio today.