A tank of Russian troops drives into a part of the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine, July 23, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko/File photo
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Aug 20 (Reuters) – Russia’s defense ministry accused Ukraine on Saturday of poisoning some of its servicemen in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region in late July.
An adviser to Ukraine’s interior ministry said in response that the alleged poisoning could have been caused by Russian forces eating expired canned meat.
The Russian defense ministry said several Russian servicemen had been taken to a military hospital with signs of severe poisoning on July 31. Tests showed a toxic substance, botulinum toxin type B, in his body, he said.
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“On the fact of chemical terrorism sanctioned by the (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskiy regime, Russia is preparing supporting evidence with the results of all analyses,” the ministry said in a statement.
He did not say how many soldiers had suffered or what their condition was now. He did not say what the “supporting evidence” was.
Botulinum toxin type B is a neurotoxin that can cause botulism when ingested in previously contaminated food products, but it can also have medical uses.
Ukraine’s defense ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, but interior ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko commented on the Russian allegation on the Telegram messaging app.
“The department (Russia’s defense ministry) does not clarify whether the poisoning could have been caused by expired canned meat, in which botulinum toxin is often found. The occupation forces have been massively reporting expired rations since the first days of the invasion of Ukraine,” he said.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it was conducting a further investigation into an incident in which Volodymyr Saldo, the Russian-installed administration in Ukraine’s occupied Kherson region, fell ill.
Saldo, a former mayor of the city of Kherson who was appointed to head the region of the same name when Russian troops invaded it in early March, fell ill in early August. Read more
Russia says its “special military operation” launched on February 24 aims to demilitarize Ukraine and protect Russian speakers in what President Vladimir Putin called historic Russian land.
Ukraine and Western countries see it as an unprovoked war of conquest aimed at eliminating Ukraine’s national identity.
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Reuters report; Timothy Heritage edition
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