MOSCOW, Feb 7: It’s hardly the Cold War but the plight of a herd of circus camels stuck in the cold on Russia’s border with Ukraine was chafing at ties between the two countries on Saturday.

The dispute over 20 camels purchased in the camel-breeding Russian region of Kalmykia and bound for Bulgaria comes hot on the heels of a gas transit conflict seen as fuelled by ideological differences between Russia and its pro-western neighbour.

The camels have been stuck in a border no-man’s-land at Matveyev Kurgan since Jan 31 after Russian guards waved through the truck carrying the animals but Ukraine refused it entry, citing a risk of African swine fever. Russian border officials insist the camels have been checked thoroughly.

However a spokesman for Ukraine’s veterinary service, Anatoly Osadchiy, said: “The ban cannot be lifted due to African swine fever. Camels are potential carriers.” The head of Kalmykia, a traditionally Buddhist region of Russia, was moved to intervene on Saturday after one of the camels died, apparently from confinement in the truck.—AFP