Igor Kirillov, head of Vladimir Putin’s Russian Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Troops, has accused the United States of preparing to target its troops with drones carrying malaria-bearing mosquitos.
He alleged the aim was to cause illness or death from malaria.
“The flooding of Kherson region planned by the Kyiv regime can complicate the situation, including with regard to arbovirus infections,” Kirillov said, referencing the recent Kakhova dam collapse in southern Ukraine.
“After a drop in the water level, it is possible to form foci of diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, primarily West Nile fever,” he said, according to the Daily Mail.
“The high technical level of US preparedness for the use of infected vectors is evidenced by a patent for a drone designed to spread infected mosquitoes in the air.”
Kirillov did not provide any additional details about the alleged patent but said: “In accordance with the description, the drone must deliver a container with insects to a given area and release them.”
“The description of the patent emphasizes that the infected soldier is not able to perform the combat missions assigned to him.”
READ ALSO: Two Killed, 30 Injured As Russian Missile Hit Ukraine City
The accusation came as Ukrainian soldiers raised their country’s blue and yellow flag in a newly recaptured village, amid claims they have ‘paused’ their counteroffensive.
Ukraine said its soldiers had liberated an eighth village, Piatykhatky – in the southern Zaporizhzhia region – from Moscow’s grasp – amid claims from Kyiv that its forces had inflicted ‘significant loses’ on Russia’s invading armies.
In the past week, more than 4,800 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded, Ukraine’s Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said in a Monday post on Telegram, while a further 80 Russians have been captured, she added.