In the midst of the European region's heightened tensions over the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the US revealed on Tuesday that Ukraine has "biological research facilities."
According to Sputnik, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland also said that the US is concerned the ‘research facilities’ could come under the control of Russian forces as the attack on Ukraine continues to intensify.
“Ukraine has biological research facilities, which in fact we are now quite concerned Russian forces may be seeking to gain control of, so we are working with the Ukrainians on how they can prevent any of those research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces should they approach,” said Nuland, during a Senate hearing on Ukraine.
The Russian government received documents from Ukrainian biological research institutes on the urgent elimination of deadly diseases such as anthrax, cholera, and the plague on February 24, in what could be a cover-up of BTWC violations.
At the time, Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said the documents were being examined by the military.
Konashenkov said facilities in Ukraine were developing components for biological weapons, noting that in the near future, the ministry would release its analysis of the received documents.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" in Ukraine. Russian forces have been advancing in Ukraine since then, overrunning the city of Kherson and besieging the port of Mariupol.
In a recent development, Russia says it has opened humanitarian corridors for civilians to leave the besieged areas.
The military conflict has so far displaced more than two million people in what the United Nations has described as the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.