[Sportschosun reporter Jang Jong-ho] Claims have emerged in Ukraine that Russia is carrying out biological terror and threatening the lives of civilians.
According to foreign media outlets including the New York Post, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (DIU) claimed that the Russian Armed Forces are bringing in and burying the carcasses of livestock infected with anthrax at burial sites for animals in occupied areas of Kherson Oblast in the southeast. The agency said there are as many as 50 livestock burial sites in the area, and about 10 of them have been classified as high-risk zones that pose a serious threat to residents' safety.
The high-risk areas disclosed by the DIU include sites near Askaniia-Nova, Skadovsk, and Zaliznyi Port. Some burial grounds are reportedly located less than 1 kilometer from residential areas. Ukraine said the infected livestock is being buried as is, without following sanitary rules that require the carcasses to be incinerated. It also alleged that basic biosafety measures, such as fences or barriers, have not been put in place.
The DIU criticized the move, saying, "Deliberately or carelessly creating conditions for anthrax outbreaks is another crime committed by Russia against civilians in occupied territories and amounts to an act of biological terror." It also warned that some burial sites are in areas with high groundwater levels, which could increase the risk of soil and groundwater contamination.
Anthrax is a spore-forming bacterium that can survive in soil for decades and cause fatal infections in both humans and livestock. In particular, inhalation anthrax, which occurs when spores are inhaled, is known to have a very high fatality rate.
Ukraine also said it cannot rule out the possibility that Russia may later try to stage an operation targeting these burial sites or exploit a contamination incident to spread false claims that Ukraine developed or used biological weapons. So far, however, Russia has not issued any official response to the allegations.
The allegations surfaced as Russia has recently intensified drone and missile attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine's capital. Ukrainian officials say civilian casualties have continued to rise in recent airstrikes, and they are once again urging Western countries to expand support for air defense systems, including Patriot missiles.
Jang Jong-ho, bellho@sportschosun.com
