Russia on Friday said it found evidence that the U.S. was operating a number of bio-labs in Ukraine, urging a meeting of the UN Security Council (UNSC) to interrogate its claims.

Washington has dismissed the allegation as “absurd.’’

“Russian Mission asked for a meeting of the (UNSC) for March 11, to discuss the military biological activities of the U.S. on the territory of Ukraine,’’ Dmitry Polyanskiy, first deputy permanent representative of Russia to the UN, tweeted.

There was initially no confirmation the emergency meeting would take place.

According to diplomats, the emergency meeting was scheduled to take place at 10:00 a.m. (1500 GMT).

The Russian Defence Ministry has claimed that there is a network of bio-labs in Ukraine working on behalf of the U.S. Defence Department, a claim long dismissed as inaccurate.

The U.S. has warned that false propaganda from Moscow alleging Ukraine is producing weapons of mass destruction could be a pretext for Russia to use them itself.

A senior U.S. defence official called the allegations “absurd, laughable and untrue.’’

The U.S. had indications that the Russians could be making these claims as a way of creating a “pretext of their own, what he called an excuse to perhaps use these kinds of agents in an attack,’’ the official said.

The result could be “potentially more aggressive military action’’ or “the actual use of some agents’’ in Ukraine, the official said.

After an inconclusive meeting on Thursday, the top diplomats from Russia and Ukraine indicated they were willing to conduct further talks.

The Russian military meanwhile announced plans to open escape corridors from Ukraine to Russia on a daily basis, suggesting Kiev should agree to them by 3:00 a.m. (0000 GMT) on Friday. 

(dpa/NAN)