Russian MoD: Diseases Spread to Humans Through Bats Studied in Kharkov Under US Control For Years

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A secret project to study the ways bats can transmit diseases to humans has been carried out under US control at a laboratory in Kharkov, Ukraine for many years, Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Thursday.

"I want to emphasise that according to the documents, these studies [on the ways bats transmit diseases to humans] have been carried out in Kharkov on a systematic basis and under the direct supervision of specialists from the United States for many years," Konashenkov told reporters.

The Russian defence ministry continues to study documents received from employees of Ukrainian laboratories on the implementation of biological warfare programmes by the United States and its NATO allies on the territory of Ukraine, the official said.

As part of the project, the Kharkiv State Veterinary Academy studied wild birds as vectors for the transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza, he said, adding that the conditions were assessed under which the transfer processes can become unmanageable, cause economic damage, and create food security risks.

The spokesman added that the ministry will present new documents on the export of a large amount of human biomaterials from Ukraine to the UK and other European countries in the near future.