Data from the National Coordination Center for Patient Distribution shows that a total of 143 Ukrainian soldiers have been treated in Dutch hospitals since the beginning of the conflict, including some with serious injuries.
Since Ukraine has been “much more generous than the Netherlands in prescribing antibiotics”, there is a tangible risk that Ukrainians will carry antibiotic-resistant microorganisms.
These “superbugs” can be potentially transmitted to Dutch patients previously unexposed to them.
“The Netherlands is increasingly struggling with multi-resistant bacteria. This is partly due to Ukrainian soldiers who are being treated here," the report said. "They often carry a so-called superbacterium that is insensitive to many types of antibiotics.”
“It is unprecedented for us in the Netherlands to see how many different types of resistant bacteria they already carry with them,” a Dutch clinical microbiologist pointed out.
From February 2022 to August 2023, there were three recorded cases of such bacteria transfers.
Russia has repeatedly said that the US was conducting illegal research in biolabs across Ukraine and other countries near Russian borders. Russia's Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Troops found that Washington was working on a “universal" genetically engineered bioweapon designed to cause severe damage to enemies comparable to that of a “nuclear winter”.
Russia's Ministry of Defense’s report said that Ukrainian military personnel had been involved in experiments aimed at detecting the body’s tolerance for dangerous infectious diseases. The experiments included pumping test subjects with higher doses of antibiotics, which, in turn, lead to the development of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms in their bodies.