Could a decades-old livestock cemetery become the next flashpoint in the Russia-Ukraine war?Ukraine’s military intelligence has alleged that Russian forces are creating conditions for the spread of anthrax in occupied parts of the Kherson region by improperly disposing of infected animals, raising concerns over potential public health risks and what Kiev describes as a possible “false-flag” operation. The statement was published on the official website of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU).The intelligence agency said there are more than 50 livestock burial grounds in the occupied part of the region, about 10 of which are considered particularly dangerous, including sites near Askania-Nova, Skadovsk and Zalizny port. According to the DIU, carcasses of infected animals are being buried instead of burnt and “without following any sanitary standards.”The agency alleged that many burial sites were in neglected conditions, located close to roads and settlements, some less than a kilometer from residential areas. It further claimed that the sites lack fencing and other protective infrastructure, while the occupation authorities have failed to maintain them to ensure biological security.Ukraine’s military intelligence also warned that many cemeteries are located in areas with high groundwater levels, increasing the potential for contamination. It added that the anthrax pathogen can survive in soil for decades or even a century, making it a direct threat to civilians and the agricultural sector in occupied Kherson.Describing the alleged actions as “an act of biological terrorism against civilians living in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine,” the DIU said, “Intentionally or negligently creating conditions for the spread of anthrax is another crime committed by Russia’s aggressor state.”The agency also claimed that “it cannot be ruled out that Russia could use these burial sites to conduct a false flag campaign,” alleging that such an operation could include both an attack on anthrax-contaminated burial grounds and “an information and propaganda campaign aimed at accusing Ukraine of developing or using so-called ‘biological’ weapons.”Russia has not publicly responded to the allegations, and the claims have not been independently confirmed.