According to EU documents and people familiar with the situation, the European Union has agreed to undertake a stockpiling operation to strengthen its defences against chemical, nuclear, and biological attacks in response to worries about the conflict in Ukraine.
The stockpiling of protective gear and medications is projected to last weeks, if not months, and is intended to increase the amount of reserves accessible to EU citizens and partners, including Ukraine.
Two people familiar with the situation told Reuters on Friday that the supplies will include decontamination equipment, gloves, masks, and other stuff for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defence (CBRN).
The European Commission did not respond to a request for comment.
According to the minutes of two meetings of EU health experts held in March and made public this week, the decision was spurred in part by concerns about nuclear mishaps in Ukraine.
In the early days of the invasion, which the Kremlin refers to as a special operation, Russian troops grabbed control of Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant, Zaporizhzhia.
‘Nuclear sites are operated by highly skilled and competent employees,’ EU officials said, ‘which is problematic in the current crisis situation, especially when taken over by armed forces,’ according to the minutes of the March 16 meeting.
As Moscow battles to defeat Ukraine’s troops in the month-long conflict, Russia has frequently raised the possibility of deploying nuclear weapons.
Western authorities are particularly concerned that Russia may use chemical and biological weapons in Ukraine, which could have far-reaching consequences.
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