Russian Ministry of Defense said a secret project to study the ways bats can transmit diseases to humans has been carried out under US control at a laboratory in Kharkov, Ukraine for many years.
“I want to emphasize that according to the documents, these studies [on the ways bats transmit diseases to humans] have been carried out in Kharkov on a systematic basis and under the direct supervision of specialists from the United States for many years,” ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told reporters.
The Russian defense ministry continues to study documents received from employees of Ukrainian laboratories on the implementation of biological warfare programs by the United States and its NATO allies on the territory of Ukraine, the official said.
As part of the project, the Kharkiv State Veterinary Academy studied wild birds as vectors for the transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza, Konashenkov said, adding that the conditions were assessed under which the transfer processes can become unmanageable, cause economic damage, and create food security risks.
The spokesman added that the ministry will present new documents on the export of a large amount of human biomaterials from Ukraine to the UK and other European countries in the near future.
Meanwhile, the spokesman said Russia’s armed forces have shot down 12 drones, including three Bayraktar combat drones, in Ukraine over the past day.
“[The Russian air foces] have hit one Ukrainian Mi-24 and one Mi-8 helicopter, as well as 12 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, including three Bayraktar TB2s, in the air,” Konashenkov told reporters.
The air forces also destroyed 46 military facilities of Ukraine, including a division of S-300 air defense systems of Ukrainian troops, over the given period, the official added.
Since the start of the operation, Russia has destroyed 181 aircraft and helicopters, 172 unmanned aerial vehicles, 170 anti-aircraft missile systems, 1379 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 133 multiple launch rocket systems, 514 field artillery guns and mortars, as well as 1168 units of special military equipment.
Source: Agencies
