The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has disposed of, without ever using, 45 mechanical ventilation devices (ventilators) received from Russia. The department reported this to BuzzFeed.
The devices were disposed of in accordance with all the necessary rules after being stored in a warehouse for some time as spare equipment. They were not used for a number of reasons: firstly, the difference in voltage in the electrical networks of the United States and Russia did not allow the use of devices without special adapters, which American hospitals did not have.
Secondly, BuzzFeed recalls, several ventilators of this particular model caught fire and caused fires in Russian hospitals, as a result of which six people died, and the manufacturer had to stop production of these products.
In addition, the company that manufactures the equipment is under sanctions – this already in the spring outraged politicians from the US Democratic Party. They also protested that Washington's response to Moscow's aid was five and a half times more expensive than Russia's.
On April 1, the Russian military transport aircraft An-124 Ruslan delivered humanitarian aid to the United States. On board the aircraft were disinfectants, goggles, respirators and masks, as well as equipment. The State Department said that they paid for the deliveries from Russia in full, Moscow denied this, pointing out that half of the cargo was paid by the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), the same – by the American side.
