Russia’s Defense Ministry accused Ukraine on Saturday of poisoning some of its soldiers in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region in late July.
An aide to Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said the alleged poisoning may have been caused by expired canned meat that Russian forces had reportedly eaten.
On July 31, a large number of Russian soldiers were taken to a military hospital with symptoms of severe poisoning, the Russian Ministry of Defense said.
Testing said they found botulinum toxin type B, a toxic substance in their body.
“With regard to chemical terrorism sanctioned by the (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskiy regime, Russia is preparing evidence with the results of all analyzes,” the ministry said in a statement.
It was not specified how many soldiers suffered at the time or what their condition was. Nor did he say what the evidence was.
Botulinum toxin type B is a neurotoxin that can cause botulism if ingested with previously contaminated food, but it can also have medicinal uses.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense initially did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment, but Interior Ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko commented on the Russian accusation on messaging app Telegram.
“The department (Russian Ministry of Defense) does not clarify whether the poisoning was caused by expired canned meat, in which botulinum toxin is often found,” he said.
source: Noticias
