Russia accuses Ukraine of poisoning some of its soldiers

The Russian Defense Ministry accused Ukraine on Saturday of poisoning some of its soldiers in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhia region in late July.

An adviser to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry said in response that the alleged poisoning may have been caused by Russian soldiers eating expired canned meat.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that a number of Russian soldiers were taken to a military hospital with signs of serious poisoning on July 31.

Tests showed the presence of botulinum toxin B toxin in their bodies.

"With regard to the fact of chemical terrorism authorized by the government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia is collecting supporting evidence with the results of all analyzes," the ministry said in a statement.

She did not say how many soldiers suffered from the poisoning or their condition now.

The nature of the "supporting evidence" was not specified.

Botulinum toxin type B is a neurotoxin that can cause food poisoning when ingested in previously contaminated food products, but it can also have medicinal uses.

Adviser to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry Anton Gerashchenko commented on the Russian accusations on the messaging application Telegram, saying, "The ministry (the Russian Defense Ministry) has not clarified whether the poisoning was caused by expired canned meat, which often contains botulinum toxin... Russia's forces have complained on a large scale. There has been widespread delay in food rations since the early days of the Ukraine war."

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