Ukrainian intelligence has reported that Russian forces are transporting carcasses of livestock infected with anthrax to burial sites in the Kherson region. These burial sites, estimated to number up to fifty, present the most significant threat in approximately ten locations, particularly near the settlements of Askania Nova, Skadovsk, and Zalizny Port.
According to the intelligence report, the occupiers are disposing of infected animals without adhering to any sanitary regulations. “Carcasses are not incinerated but are simply buried. Many of these sites are in a neglected state near roads and populated areas, with some locations less than one kilometer from residential structures,” the report stated.
Moreover, these burial sites lack any protective barriers, increasing the risk of contaminating the surrounding environment. The soil over these graves sinks over time, but the occupying administration fails to provide the necessary maintenance to ensure biological safety at these sites.
Some burial sites are situated in areas with high groundwater levels, further enhancing the risk of the anthrax pathogen persisting in the soil for several decades to a century, as noted by Ukrainian intelligence. Such actions represent a direct threat to both the civilian population and the agricultural sector in the region.
Ukrainian intelligence labeled the deliberate or negligent conditions leading to an anthrax outbreak as another crime by the aggressor state of Russia, potentially constituting an act of biological terrorism against civilians in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. Furthermore, there are concerns that Russia might use these burial sites to stage provocations, falsely accusing Ukraine of deploying biological weapons. Previously, Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs refuted claims regarding laboratories producing biological weapons within Ukraine.
Context
- In May, Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported a critical humanitarian situation in parts of the Kherson region occupied by Russia, with residents lacking food and medicine. Difficult conditions have been documented in Oleshky, Halia Prystan, as well as Stara Zburivka and Nova Zburivka.
