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Russian occupation authorities are deliberately creating conditions for the spread of anthrax in occupied parts of Kherson region, Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate said on Monday, UATV English reports.
According to the agency, Russian forces have been transporting carcasses of livestock infected with anthrax to animal burial sites across the occupied region. DUI estimates there are around 50 such sites, with roughly 10 posing particularly serious risks, including those near Askania-Nova, Skadovsk and Zaliznyi Port.
The intelligence agency said infected animals are being disposed of without observing basic sanitary standards. Rather than being incinerated, carcasses are simply buried, while many of the burial grounds are located close to roads and residential areas, in some cases less than one kilometer away from populated settlements.
According to DUI, the sites lack protective fencing and other safety infrastructure, and the occupation administration has failed to carry out the maintenance required to ensure biological security. Soil above the graves has subsided over time, while some burial grounds are located in areas with high groundwater levels, increasing the risk of contamination.
Anthrax spores can remain viable in soil for decades or even more than a century, the agency noted.
DUI warned that the uncontrolled disposal of infected livestock poses a direct threat to civilians living in occupied territories and to Kherson region’s agricultural sector due to the risk of soil contamination and infection of healthy animals.
The agency also said it could not rule out the possibility that Russia may use the burial sites in a false-flag operation, combining physical damage to anthrax-contaminated locations with an information campaign aimed at accusing Ukraine of developing or using biological weapons.
Earlier, Ukrainian officials reported that Russian troops digging trenches in Zaporizhzhia region had accidentally disturbed an old animal burial site and contracted anthrax.
