Ukraine pays for Moscow’s Cold War paranoia

The sickness appeared after the uncovering of buried rockets in an areathat borders the villages, Ukranian newspaper Kiev Post said, quoting locals.

Most villagers in the region get their drinking water from wells thatdraw water from the nearby rivers the South Buh and Synyula. It’s between these two rivers where a pile of rockets was buried in 1978, said the Kiev Post.

Rockets were left undisturbed until last May, when local scavengers,looking for scrap metal, started digging in an area between the rivers. Scientists are reported to have found breakdown products in the soil andwater of two missile components — Heptyl and Amyl.

According to the Ukrainian Emergency Situations Ministry, in July andAugust, 410 people, including 250 children, in four villages have beendiagnosed with the same symptoms of skin rash, extreme fatigue, acute liverand pancreas disorder, diarrhoea, vomiting and high temperatures.

Currently, about 15 per cent of the 2,065 people in the affected area aresick, and 40 per cent of the children have fallen ill. Over 500children have already been evacuated and the remaining 100 are planned tobe moved soon.

The entire area, affected with the yet-undiagnosed illness, has beenquarantined. Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma paid a visit to the area, declaring it an “environmental emergency zone.” He has also vowed to take up the matter with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and ask him about possible nuclear missile leakage, during his forthcoming visit to Moscow.

Analysts say, the disease may trigger a new diplomatic row between Moscowand Kiev. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, 130 SS-19 and 46 SS-24 missiles were left in Ukraine, with their warheads being taken to Russia forreprocessing.

Ukrainian newspapers said, although the SS-24 used solid fuel, the SS-19used liquid fuel containing Heptyl. Russian Defence Ministry has denied Ukrainian suggestion that the illness has been caused by nuclear missile discharges.