"Statements of the Russian Federation on the alleged development of biological weapons in Ukraine should be regarded as misinformation and provocation - Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine"

"Russia's statements on the alleged development of biological weapons in Ukraine should be regarded as misinformation and provocation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said."

"Russia's public statements on the alleged development of biological weapons in Ukraine should be seen as misinformation and provocation. Ukraine calls on the international community to increase pressure on Russia to force it to comply with international obligations, including the Biological Weapons Convention, and not create additional risks related to biological agents,' the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Monday."

"The Foreign Ministry pointed out that the Ministry of Health of Ukraine denied the information spread by the Russian propaganda media about the alleged 'emergency cleanup of traces of the military biological program funded by the U.S. Department of Defense' and 'destruction of particularly dangerous pathogens' ."

"The Ministry of Health of Ukraine also noted that there are no American laboratories in our country. All laboratory facilities in Ukraine perform a single common function - indication and identification of infectious agents with significant epidemic potential and / or international importance and are regulated by international medical organizations. The Ministry of Health of Ukraine also drew attention to the fact that the documents published by Russia do not mention particularly dangerous biopathogens, the development of which is attributed to Ukraine by Russian propaganda media, "the Ministry explained."

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stressed that the armed aggression of the Russian Federation has significantly weakened the national system of biological protection of Ukraine."

"In particular, by seizing Ukrainian research and practical institutions with a sanitary and epidemiological profile in the temporarily occupied Crimea and temporarily occupied territories in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Russia deliberately ignored the requirements for information on the status and location of these pathogens stored in facilities and were used in the development of vaccines and for diagnostic purposes for the population of Ukraine ", - said in a comment."

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine assured that the Government of Ukraine, under the circumstances of the ongoing armed invasion of Russian troops on Ukrainian territory, is making every effort to ensure reliable protection of all laboratories in the controlled areas."

""In this context, any attempts by Russia to confiscate biological material are extremely dangerous and can threaten both the security of Ukraine and the security of all of Europe,"" the Foreign Ministry said."

https://interfax.com.ua/news/general/809091.html