Russia claims it found evidence of Ukraine destroying US-funded bioweapons programme

As Russian troops entered Ukraine, the government in Kyiv ordered the “emergency destruction” of pathogens including plague and anthrax at US-funded laboratories near the Russian border, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed on Sunday. Earlier, there were reports that the Russian military was targeting US-run Biolabs that were written off as conspiracy theories; Russia has promised to back up its claims with documents.

“We have received documentation from employees of Ukrainian bio laboratories on the emergency destruction on February 24 of especially dangerous pathogens of plague, anthrax, tularemia, cholera and other deadly diseases,” read a statement from the Russian Ministry.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov on Sunday said that during Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, evidence of a US-financed military biological programme developed in the country was revealed. 

Russian news agency TASS quoted Konashenkov as saying, "In the course of the special military operation, evidence of the Kyiv regime’s hasty measures to conceal any traces of the military biological programme, finance by the US Department of Defense in Ukraine, has been revealed". 

According to Konashenkov, the employees of Ukrainian biolaboratories provided information that said especially hazardous pathogens: plague, anthrax, cholera, tularemia, and other lethal diseases infecting agents had been urgently destroyed on February 24.

Russian Defence Ministry has further informed that Pentagon was frightened that secret biological experiments in Ukraine will be exposed after the launch of the special military operations. The Ministry has informed that the results of the analysis of the documents will be shared in the near future. 

Russia-Ukraine war: Russia announces ceasefire in 4 Ukrainian cities

Russia's Defence Ministry on Saturday had declared a partial ceasefire to allow humanitarian corridors out of the Ukrainian cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha. "From 1000 Moscow time (0700 GMT), the Russian side declares a ceasefire and the opening of humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to leave Mariupol and Volnovakha," Russian news agencies quoted the Russian defence ministry as saying. Mariupol officials said that as Russian forces are violating the ceasefire by resuming shelling, evacuation efforts in the city had to be halted. 

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin, after a conversation with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron,  declared a ceasefire in four Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv. The other cities where a ceasefire has been declared include Mariupol, Kharkiv and Sumy. The ceasefire will come into effect at 10 am Moscow time (12.30 pm IST).

According to the UN, at least 364 civilians are confirmed to have been killed and another 759 wounded in Ukraine since Russia started military operations on February 24, although the true numbers are probably "considerably higher".