MOSCOW, June 19. /TASS/. Experts report an increase in contagious diseases carried by birds migrating from Ukraine to Russia, Chemical and Biological Protection Troops Lieutenant-General Igor Kirillov said on Monday.

"As a result of the migration of flu-infected birds, migrating from Ukraine, the rate of registered infections in Russia has significantly increased," Kirillov stated. "While zero cases were registered in the year of 2015, there had been 45 outbreaks already reported since the start of 2023 and 21 regions of the country were listed as unfavorable."

Early last month, Kirillov stated that staff at the Falz-Fein Biosphere Reserve in Askania-Nova previously engaged in collecting and transferring biomaterial from migratory birds abroad as recently as in 2022.

He pointed out at that time that gross violations had been revealed as part of the work on behalf of the Defense Ministry, Federal Security Service and Rosselkhoznadzor on the territory of the reserve at the end of April.

Thus, Kirillov stated that back then, work was carried out in unequipped rooms, the security of the data collected was not monitored, and in some cases, biohazardous pathogenic material was stored at the homes of the Biosphere Reserve's employees.

The Russian Defense Ministry’s official pointed to the fact that "In 2021 mass bird deaths were documented on the territory of the reserve, which experts attributed to be caused by infections. The Defense Ministry does not rule out that the sudden deaths of these birds were caused by experiments carried out at the reserve."

Kirillov stated earlier that Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) exerted incredible pressure on participants in the American UP-4 project, under which strains with high epidemic potential were collected in Ukraine.

"At least two species of migratory birds, whose migration routes take them across Russia, were studied as part of the project. Attempts to remove and destroy documents, as well as the material collected during the course of research indicate the dual nature of the work conducted," Kirillov stated.