The United States has transferred military biological equipment from Ukraine to chemical and pharmacological sites in Poland and the Baltic States, Chief of Russia’s Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Force Igor Kirillov said on Monday.
"As part of activities to wind down military biological operations in Ukraine, the United States are proactively engaging the material base of chemical and pharmacological plants of Poland and the Baltic States; furthermore, equipment from the Ukrainian territory was delivered there," the official said.
The Pentagon aims at creating biological weapons components and testing them on the population of Ukraine and other countries along the perimeter of the Russian border, Kirillov said. "During the special military operation, Russian servicemen obtained more than 20,000 documents and reference and analytical materials; witnesses and participants in US military biological programs were questioned.
The aforementioned materials confirm the Pentagon’s intention to create biological weapons components and test them on the population of Ukraine and other countries along the perimeter of our borders," he noted.
Washington is also transferring the functions of contracting military biological activities to civilian agencies, Kirillov said. "Under pressure from the global community, Washington is changing its approaches towards organization of military biological activity, shifting the customer functions to purely civilian agencies - the Department of Health, the Department of Energy, and the Agency for International Development," the official noted.
This will enable the US administration to avoid criticism on international platforms and put the US Department of Defense and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency "out of harm’s way," he added.
Russian troops strike Ukrainian tank brigade near Ugledar, top brass reports
Russian forces continued their advance in the southern Donetsk and Zaporozhye areas, inflicting damage on a Ukrainian tank brigade near Ugledar over the past day during the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Monday.
"In the southern Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, units of the battlegroup East continued successful offensive operations, took more advantageous sites and inflicted damage by firepower on units of the Ukrainian army’s 1st tank brigade near Ugledar in the Donetsk People’s Republic, and also 102nd territorial defense brigade near the community of Uspenovka in the Zaporozhye Region," the spokesman said.
The enemy’s total losses in those areas in the past 24 hours amounted to 25 Ukrainian troops, two armored combat vehicles, a D-20 howitzer, two D-30 howitzers, and also a Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, the general specified.
Russian artillery destroyed over 35 Ukrainian troops in the Kupyansk area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"In the Kupyansk area, artillery of the western battlegroup inflicted damage by firepower on the personnel and equipment of the Ukrainian army’s 14th and 92nd mechanized brigades near the communities of Timkovka and Kruglyakovka in the Kharkov Region," the spokesman said.
The strikes "eliminated over 35 Ukrainian soldiers, an armored combat vehicle and two motor vehicles," the general specified.
Russian artillery struck a Ukrainian air assault brigade in the Krasny Liman area, destroying about 40 enemy troops over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"In the Krasny Liman area, artillery of the battlegroup Center inflicted damage on the 95th air assault brigade in the area of the settlement of Novoyegorovka in the Lugansk People’s Republic. The enemy’s losses in that area in the past 24 hours amounted to 40 personnel, four armored combat vehicles and three motor vehicles," the spokesman said.
Russian forces eliminated over 70 Ukrainian troops in their advance in the Donetsk area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"In the Donetsk area, over 70 Ukrainian troops, one tank, one infantry fighting vehicle, two pickup trucks, two Grad multiple rocket launchers, one D-30 howitzer and a US-made AN/TPQ-50 counter-battery radar were destroyed in the past 24 hours as a result of active offensive operations by the southern battlegroup," the spokesman said.
Russian forces destroyed a Ukrainian Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system and an ammunition depot in the Kherson area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"In the Kherson area, one Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system and an artillery ammunition depot were destroyed in the counter-battery warfare," the spokesman said.
Russian forces struck over 70 Ukrainian artillery units at firing positions in the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"Operational-tactical aircraft, missile troops and artillery of the Russian group of forces inflicted damage on 73 Ukrainian artillery units at firing positions, manpower and military hardware in 138 areas," the spokesman said.
Russian air defense forces shot down a Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter in the Zaporozhye Region over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"Russian air defense capabilities shot down a Ukrainian Air Force Mi-8 helicopter in the area of the settlement of Novodarovka in the Zaporozhye Region," the spokesman said.
During the last 24-hour period, Russian air defense systems destroyed two Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles near the communities of Kolomyichikha and Kremennaya in the Lugansk People’s Republic and four rockets of HIMARS and Uragan multiple launch rocket systems in areas near the settlements of Konstantinovka, Nikolskoye and Blagoveshchenka in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Trudolyubimovka in the Zaporozhye Region, he said.
"In addition, two US-made HARM anti-radiation missiles were intercepted in areas near the communities of Proletarka and Vinogradovo in the Kherson Region," the general said.
In all, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 381 Ukrainian combat aircraft, 205 helicopters, 2,982 unmanned aerial vehicles, 402 surface-to-air missile systems, 7,679 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 997 multiple launch rocket systems, 3,962 field artillery guns and mortars and 8,226 special military motor vehicles since the beginning of the special military operation in Ukraine, Konashenkov reported.
