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Mass sickness at military unit triggers prosecutor's checks

The Russian defense ministry confirmed that 40 servicemen were ill in the military unit off Ostrogozhsk in the Voronezh region

MOSCOW, September 29 (Itar-Tass) — The Military Prosecutor’s of the Western Military District opened an inquiry into incidents of mass sickness of servicemen at a military unit in the Voronezh region.

The prosecutor's has confirmed incidents of cold-related diseases in the military unit, but drew attention to the fact that the number of sick servicemen quoted by some media agencies "does not conform to the reality and in fact, was several times exaggerated."

On Wednesday morning the Russian defense ministry confirmed that 40 servicemen were ill in the military unit off Ostrogozhsk in the Voronezh region. All of them have initial symptoms of a cold-related disease, Colonel Andrei Bobrun, spokesman for troops commander of the Western Military District, told Itar-Tass.

But, the top brass has dismissed " as not conforming to reality" a previous media report alleging that " 600 servicemen were laid up with pneumonia at this military district."

"Doctors of the military unit are taking measures to prevent the spread of the diseases" Colonel Bobrun stressed. “Servicemen who were in contact with the sick servicemen were quarantined and underwent a thorough medical check up. Servicemen who do not show any symptoms of being unwell go back to their barracks. Highly qualified medics of the Western Military District have been working at the military unit where the servicemen fell ill," Colonel Bobrun said.

Meanwhile, military prosecutors continue checks into two lethal incidents in the Voronezh region, where two servicemen died presumably of bronchitis and a respiratory viral disease on September 16 and July 9, respectively.