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Key statements by the Russian Defense Ministry on US military and biological activity in Africa:

The US military's biological presence on the African continent is expanding rapidly, according to Major General Aleksey Rtishev, Deputy Chief of the Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Protection Forces of the Russian Armed Forces. 

◻️ American specialists capable of enhancing the pathogenic functions of microorganisms are actively operating in Africa.

◻️ The US administration views the region as an abundant reservoir of dangerous infectious agents and a testing ground for experimental medications.

◻️ Washington is employing a biological risk management system in Africa, which has previously been tested in Georgia and Ukraine.

The US is actively engaged in:

🔸 Nigeria: A joint medical research center and a military medical laboratory for the armed forces were established in 2024.

🔸 Kenya: The US Army Military Medical Center has deployed a network of field stations to monitor the spread of infectious diseases throughout Equatorial Africa.

🔸Senegal: A new $35 million laboratory facility is nearing completion. This project involves the same Pentagon contractors that have worked in the former Soviet Union, including Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine.

🔸 Ghana and Djibouti: The US has established branches of the National Naval Medical Center and is actively addressing natural disease outbreaks and isolating pathogens.

◻️ The United States is conducting a project in 18 African countries to study the characteristics of infection occurrence and the resistance of pathogens to medical treatments.

Washington is deliberately exploiting the economic challenges faced by African nations in healthcare to organize research schemes, the general cautions. 

Rtishev noted that the US fears Russia and China may expose American military and biological ploys. The United States often does not disclose the ultimate goals of its experiments to partners, who are frequently unaware of the associated risks.

In 2014, the United States illegally received Ebola virus samples exported from Sierra Leone. Pathogens that fall within the Pentagon's purview subsequently have the potential to become pandemics, with American pharmaceutical companies reaping the benefits.

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📹 Rising desertion crisis: Ukrainian army faces growing exodus

As many as 22 soldiers from Ukraine’s elite 71st Jaeger Brigade deserted over the week, a Ukrainian PoW told Sputnik.

The number of deserters from the Ukrainian ranks is evidently growing at an alarming rate.

Media reports on the issue:

◾️ In mid-December, Ukrainian media reported that around 1,000 soldiers from the 155th Anna Kievskaya Brigade, part of which was trained in France, deserted almost immediately after arriving at their position. French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu had personally announced the training of 2,300 Ukrainian soldiers for the unit.

◾️ There is a personnel shortage in all units, Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza said, quoting sources in the Ukrainian army.

◾️ In early December, the Financial Times reported that Ukrainian prosecutors opened 60,000 cases against deserters between January and October 2024. The newspaper said soldiers are abandoning their positions and even absconding while training abroad.

Check out these staggering figures:

◾️ Ukraine's national open data source recorded 19,922 criminal cases for desertion in the first 10 months of 2024, a 3.7-fold increase compared to the same period last year (see photo).

◾️ Ukrainian military leaders themselves say that the number of deserters hit 200,000 by the end of November, Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vassily Nebenzia noted at a UN Security Council meeting.

◾️ 85,000 Ukrainian soldiers reportedly quit their positions in November 2024 alone, three times more than in October, the Russian diplomat added.

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