On Saturday, Russia’s defence ministry accused Ukraine of poisoning some of its personnel in late July in the Russian-controlled section of Ukraine’s southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia.
In response, an interior ministry adviser in Ukraine stated that the suspected poisoning could have been caused by Russian personnel consuming expired tinned meat.
On July 31, a number of Russian personnel were rushed to a military hospital with signs of acute poisoning, according to the Russian defence ministry. According to the report, tests revealed a dangerous chemical, botulinum toxin type B, in their systems.
‘Russia is developing supporting evidence with the results of all analyses on the fact of chemical terrorism sanctioned by the government of (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskiy,’ the ministry said in a statement.
It did not indicate how many personnel had been injured or what their current status was. The ‘supporting evidence’ was not specified.
Botulinum toxin type B is a neurotoxin that can induce botulism when consumed in previously tainted food, but it also has medical use.
The Ukrainian defence ministry did not react quickly to a request for comment from Reuters, but interior ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko addressed the Russian allegation on the Telegram messaging app.
‘The department (Russian defence ministry) does not say whether the poisoning was caused by expired canned meat, which contains botulinum toxin. Since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, the occupying forces have received several complaints regarding overdue meals,’ he stated.
The Russian defence ministry announced an additional probe into the illness of Volodymyr Saldo, the Russian-installed administration in Ukraine’s seized Kherson area.
Saldo, a former mayor of Kherson who was selected to lead the province of the same name after Russian soldiers took it over in early March, fell ill in early August.
Russia says its ‘special military operation,’ which began on February 24, aims to demilitarise Ukraine and safeguard Russian speakers on what President Vladimir Putin refers to as ‘ancient Russian land.’
Ukraine and Western countries see it as an unprovoked conquest war aiming at eradicating Ukraine’s national character.
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