The Russian Defense Ministry for the first time commented on the US report on biolabs
On June 19, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that Ukraine had overestimated the storage volumes of cholera, tularemia and brucellosis pathogens at the Mechnikov Institute, which is being reconstructed with the participation of the United States. The department added that the American authorities deliberately concealed information about biolabs in Ukraine and other countries. The main thing on this topic is in the Izvestia material.
Financing of biolabs from the USA
On June 12, the office of the head of the US National Intelligence Service released evidence of United States funding for more than 120 biolabs in more than 30 countries. It was noted that the US authorities deliberately concealed from the Americans information about the existence of laboratories funded by Washington in other countries, including Ukraine. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, in turn, expressed hope that the United States would complete the investigation into its biological programs abroad and declassify the facts about the activities of biolabs.
The United States deliberately concealed information about biolabs in Ukraine
The Russian Defense Ministry, commenting on the data of the head of the National Intelligence of the United States, stressed that the American authorities deliberately concealed data on biological laboratories around the world. Rtishchev noted that many of the funded laboratories conducted research with dangerous pathogens with little or no supervision. The research was conducted in conditions of special secrecy with limited access by Ukrainian specialists. The Russian side intends to seek clarification of the situation on international platforms, the Lieutenant General added.
Excessive amounts of infectious agents
The head of the radiation, chemical and biological protection forces of the Russian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Alexei Rtishchev, said that the Pentagon is the customer of the reconstruction of the institute, and the contractor is the Black & Hiv company affiliated with the US military. He recalled that the institute's activities had previously raised questions at the consultative meeting on the Convention on the Prohibition of Biological and Toxin Weapons.
At that time, it was about unreasonably excessive storage volumes of containers with pathogens in the absence of documentary evidence of their use for peaceful purposes. The Ministry of Defense added that the nomenclature of pathogens does not correspond to the problems in the healthcare sector in Ukraine, where there is an increase in the incidence of rubella, diphtheria and tuberculosis. This, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, indicates attempts to develop components of biological weapons.
Other biological objects
In addition to the Mechnikov Institute, the Russian Ministry of Defense also pointed to the Institute of Veterinary Medicine in Kharkov, which studies severe animal diseases that can be transmitted to humans, including highly pathogenic avian influenza, African and classical swine fever. In addition, projects codenamed "U.P." are mentioned, aimed at studying rickettsias, carriers of tularemia and anthrax, as well as other infections.
Violation of the Convention on the Prohibition of Biological and Toxin Weapons
The Defense Ministry added that Russia considers the published documents to be further evidence of Kiev's violation of its obligations under the Convention and will seek clarification of the situation on relevant international platforms. All the accusations of the Russian Federation of spreading disinformation and conducting hybrid operations in order to mislead the international community are absolutely false, the ministry stressed.
