In a statement released on Monday, Russia’s Defence Ministry accused Ukraine of poisoning two Moscow-appointed governors in Ukraine’s Kherson and Luhansk regions, despite both individuals being alive.

According to the ministry, Leonid Pasechnik, the Moscow-installed governor of Luhansk, was allegedly poisoned in December 2023, while Vladimir Saldo, the head of Kherson, was purportedly poisoned in August 2022.

The Kherson and Luhansk regions were among the four Ukrainian provinces that Russia claimed to have annexed in September 2022, although it did not have full control over any of them.

The briefing from the Russian Defence Ministry stated that on December 5, Pasechnik, a former officer in Ukraine’s SBU security service who later became a pro-Russia separatist, “received severe poisoning with phenolic compounds.” However, the ministry did not provide any updates on Pasechnik’s current health status.

Regarding Saldo, a former mayor of Kherson city and pro-Russian lawmaker in Ukraine’s parliament, the ministry reported that he was hospitalized on August 9, 2022, with symptoms of poisoning.

It is worth noting that Russian-installed authorities in Kherson had previously stated that Saldo had fallen ill but did not disclose any details about poisoning at that time. Saldo has since returned to public life in the Russian-controlled part of the Kherson region.

These alleged incidents come amid heightened tensions between Russia and Ukraine, with accusations and counter-accusations being exchanged by both sides.

Ukraine has been accused of orchestrating attacks against Russian-installed officials in areas controlled by Moscow since the influx of tens of thousands of Russian troops into Ukraine in February 2022. The incidents have resulted in casualties, further exacerbating the already volatile situation between the two nations.

Overall, the accusations of poisoning by Russia’s Defence Ministry add another layer of complexity to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, underscoring the deep-seated animosity and mistrust between the two countries.