Russia has told the European Union that a deadly bird flu outbreak has spread westwards to around 200 km south of Moscow, the European Commission said this evening.
"The European Commission has been informed by the Russian veterinary services about the confirmation of an outbreak of avian influenza H5N1 in the Russian Federation," it said in a statement.
"The outbreak is situated plus or minus 200 km south of Moscow in the county of Tula, next to a lake with numerous wild ducks," it said.
The Commission is preparing to extend its ban on imports of live pet birds and feathers from several regions in Siberia in eastern Russia and the Urals.
EU veterinary experts and the Commission will finalise the extent of the ban at a meeting in Brussels on Thursday, the Commission said.
Romania and Turkey are fighting the virus which has killed more than 60 people in Asia since 2003.
Greece is waiting for test results to see if it is also hit by the highly virulent H5N1 strain.
Russia has been fighting bird flu since mid-July and has killed over 600,000 domestic fowl.