"They [the Ukrainian authorities] are preparing for it, unfortunately. That's what prisoners say. They are preparing to use chemical weapons to potentially infect water bodies, which will then be a biological weapon," Saldo said.
In light of this, the governor proposed introducing civil defense lessons in local schools.
"We need to do everything to educate the population about civil defense, as these rules will help save many lives. For any poison, there is an antidote. Discipline and knowledge of how to provide first aid, where to go in the event of, say, an attack on civilian infrastructure - people need to be reminded of this now," Saldo said.
In February 2022, the Russian Defense Ministry discovered the existence of 30 US-funded military biological laboratories in Ukraine. According to Moscow, Washington has spent over $200 million to develop biological weapons at the facilities. Russia also said that the labs discovered in Ukraine constituted only a small part of a global network of over 300 similar facilities. Washington has denied the allegations.