Moscow Says Alarmed With Spread Of Bird Flu In Russia After 2021 Bioexperiments In Ukraine

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th May, 2023) The rising incidence of bird flu in Russia raises concern against the background of a mass death of birds due to biological experiments in Ukraine in 2021, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the head of the radiation, chemical and biological defense troops of the Russian armed forces, said on Friday.

The ministry has already drawn attention to the documented fact of a mass death of birds on the territory of the Askania-Nova nature reserve in 2021, which, according to experts, was of an infectious nature, the official said.

The simultaneous death of birds was provoked by ongoing experiments and neglect of safety requirements, he added.

"Against this background, we are especially concerned about an increase in the incidence of bird flu in Russia and in European countries, where, according to the International Epizootics Bureau, the disease has acquired a year-round character, and losses from it since 2021 have exceeded 3 billion Euros," Kirillov told reporters.

Since the start of the year, Russia has recorded 32 outbreaks of bird flu across the country, he added.