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Russia Dumps Anthrax-Infected Cattle Near Homes in Occupied Kherson, Ukraine Says
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence warned that Russian occupation forces in occupied parts of the Kherson region are violating safety rules for the disposal of livestock infected with anthrax, creating a risk of the dangerous disease spreading among civilians and across agricultural areas.
The warning was issued by Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate on June 23.
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According to Ukrainian intelligence, Russian occupation authorities are transporting the carcasses of infected animals to cattle burial sites. There are around 50 such sites in the region, with about 10 considered especially dangerous near Askania-Nova, Skadovsk, and Zaliznyi Port.
“Russians dispose of infected animals without observing any sanitary standards. Livestock carcasses are not burned, but simply buried. Many facilities are in an extremely neglected state near roads and settlements—the distance from some of the sites to residential buildings is less than 1 kilometer,” the statement said.
Ukraine’s intelligence agency said the burial sites lack solid fencing or other protective structures. It also said the Russian occupation “administration” is not carrying out the necessary maintenance needed to ensure biological safety.
The situation is made more dangerous by the fact that some burial sites are located in areas with high groundwater levels. This increases the risk of anthrax contamination spreading, since the pathogen can remain viable in soil for up to 100 years.
Ukraine’s intelligence service said this poses a direct threat both to civilians and to the agricultural sector in the Kherson region.
“The deliberate or negligent creation of conditions for an anthrax outbreak is another crime by the aggressor state, Russia, which may be regarded as an act of biological terrorism against the civilian population in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine,” the agency said.
Ukrainian intelligence also warned that Russian forces could use these cattle burial sites for false-flag provocations.
According to the agency, Russia could stage explosions at the sites and then use propaganda to accuse Ukraine of allegedly using “biological weapons.”
Anthrax is a serious infectious disease that can affect both animals and humans. In contaminated soil, its spores can remain dangerous for decades, making improper disposal of infected carcasses especially hazardous in populated or agricultural areas.
Earlier, reports emerged that Russia used munitions containing hazardous chemical substances more than 13,300 times against Ukrainian forces since the start of the full-scale invasion.
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