Russia makes claims - without evidence - of US biological weapons activities in Ukraine at a meeting of the UN Security Council.

The US has called such claims "laughable", and says they are a "false flag" to justify Russia's potential use of similar weapons against Ukraine.

It is Russia, not Ukraine, that has biological weapons programme - US.



US ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield tells the UN Security Council: “Ukraine does not have a biological weapons programme.

"There are no Ukrainian biological weapons laboratories supported by the United States. Not near Russia’s border or anywhere”.

Thomas-Greenfield says Ukraine operates its own public health laboratories to detect and diagnose diseases like Covid-19, adding the US has assisted Ukraine “to do this safely and securely”.

She says the work has been done "out in the open”, adding: "It is Russian that has long maintained a biological weapon programme in violation of international law".

Ukraine accused Russia of violating international law today by abducting the mayor of Melitopol, a Ukrainian city that fell under Russia’s control during the Ukraine invasion, reports Reuters.

Ukrainian officials said Melitopol mayor Ivan Fedorov was kidnapped after being falsely accused of terrorism.

“The abduction of the mayor of Melitopol is classified as a war crime under the Geneva Conventions and the Additional Protocol, which prohibit the taking of civilian hostages during the war,” said Ukraine’s foreign ministry in a statement.

Russia has not commented on Fedorov’s fate.