OREANDA-NEWS  The import of plants, animals and microorganisms from unfriendly countries to the Russian Federation may carry a number of dangers, he warned. aif.ru Igor Nikulin, a military expert and former member of the UN Disarmament Commission.

The expert called the frightening trend of the appearance of microflora, uncharacteristic for the Russian area, the downside of globalization and climate change. For example, tropical mosquitoes have appeared in Russia, which previously lived only in South America. The Zika virus, which used to be found only in tropical forests, has been detected in Crimea and some other regions, Nikulin said.

The appearance of animals or plants uncharacteristic of the area is fraught with a decrease in the number or disappearance of local species, disruption of ecological processes. There may also be threats to human health, the expert concluded.