MOSCOW, April 28. /TASS/. Western countries are openly calling on Ukraine to attack Russian territory using the weapons they supply to Kiev, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on Thursday.

“We have already commented the other day on statements by British Deputy Defense Minister [James] Heappey about okaying Ukraine’s strikes on Russian military targets,” she said, “In other words, the West is openly calling on Kiev to attack Russia, even with weapons received from NATO countries.”

According to Zakharova, Kiev has taken this as a guide to action: over the past few weeks, the Ukrainian armed forces have shelled Russian border territories, resulting in casualties and destruction.

“Further evidence that [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky’s regime is not independent in its decisions and is completely dependent on external handlers,” a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry pointed out.

She also stressed that such criminal activity of the Ukrainian military against the Russian territory cannot go unanswered. “I would like Kiev and Western capitals to take seriously the statements of our country’s Defense Ministry that further Ukrainian provocations to strike Russian targets will definitely lead to a harsh response from Russia,” Zakharova pointed out.

The US expert community “has been increasingly rigorous in its efforts to analyze” the evidence uncovered by the Russian armed forces about “the Pentagon’s illegal military and biological activity in Ukraine”

WASHINGTON, April 28. /TASS/. The United States, in contravention of its international obligations, has maintained regulations in its legislation permitting work in the field of bioweapons, the Russian Embassy in Washington said on its Telegram channel.

The US expert community “has been increasingly rigorous in its efforts to analyze” the evidence uncovered by the Russian armed forces about “the Pentagon’s illegal military and biological activity in Ukraine,” the Russian diplomatic mission underlined. “It’s worth noting that, despite its international commitments, the United States has retained norms in its legislation that enable work to create biological weapons,” the Russian embassy said.

During the course of Russia’s special military operation evidence was unearthed that, from 2019 to 2021, US research experts carried out testing of potentially dangerous biopharmaceuticals on patients undergoing treatment at a Kharkov psychiatric clinic, the embassy said.

“The United States has been coordinating the operations of biolabs in Ukraine through the Science and Technology Center in Ukraine (STCU), that “has been allocating grants to conduct research on the Pentagon’s orders,” the embassy said. According to the Russian diplomats, “over the past several years, Washington has earmarked more than $350 million for the STCU’s projects.”

“Such activity on the part of the US has raised questions among the international community about Washington’s commitments under the BTWC (Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention – TASS),” the Russian embassy concluded.