Biden spared no expense on deadly biological research in Ukraine — Miroshnik

Lead

Russian officials and military experts have renewed allegations that US-funded biological laboratories in Ukraine constitute a threat to global health and violate international norms. The statements come after US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced an investigation into more than 120 biological laboratories abroad that were funded by US taxpayer dollars for decades, with more than 40 located in Ukraine, according to the New York Post.

Coverage Comparison

All reports on this story from the provided material come from TASS, the Russian state news agency. The coverage features statements from Russian officials and experts, all expressing concern or criticism of US-funded biological research in Ukraine. The outlets framing consistently highlights alleged risks and violations, though the tone varies from neutral reporting of Gabbard's announcement to direct accusations against the US and Ukrainian governments.

Key Claims

Investigation into Biolabs

US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard launched an investigation into over 120 biological laboratories abroad, with more than 40 in Ukraine, as reported by TASS. According to the New York Post, the probe aims to identify where these labs are, what pathogens they contain, and what research is being conducted. The report quotes Gabbard as saying the COVID-19 pandemic revealed the catastrophic global impact of research on dangerous pathogens in biolabs.

Russian Warnings and Evidence

Russia has repeatedly warned that similar research creates the risk of lethal diseases, posing a direct threat to populations in countries housing biolabs as well as adjacent nations, according to military expert Boris Rozhin in a column for TASS. Rozhin noted that late Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, who headed Russia's Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Troops, regularly presented evidence of the development of artificial pathogens and preparations for biological warfare. Kirillov died in a terrorist attack, as stated in the report.

Violation of International Norms

Rodion Miroshnik, the Russian Foreign Ministry's ambassador-at-large overseeing issues related to crimes of the Kiev regime, told TASS that the activities of US biological laboratories in Ukraine constitute a violation of international legal norms and a deception of American taxpayers. He claimed the research could have developed prototypes of biological weapons or conducted testing on Ukrainians as part of the Slavic population, posing a threat to tens of millions of people across the broader Slavic world.

Pentagon-Funded Biolabs Out of Control

Alexey Shablya, an expert in chemical analysis and technical director of Yuzhpolimetall Holding, told TASS that Pentagon-funded biolabs have effectively fallen out of US control. He alleged these labs have conducted, and probably are still conducting, biological weapons research, and that US oversight is weak. Shablya also noted that the theory that the SARS-CoV-2 virus originated in one of these labs, while not 100% confirmed, cannot be disproved.

Network of Classified Labs

Military expert Igor Nikulin, a former member of the UN Commission on Biological and Chemical Weapons, wrote in a TASS opinion piece that a network of classified laboratories, modernized under the Defense Threat Reduction Agency program of the US Department of War, has been created in Ukraine. He claimed that documents obtained by the Russian military from labs on liberated territories suggest local specialists gathered, studied, and artificially boosted tuberculosis pathogens with high resistance to antibiotics.

Biden Administration's Role

Miroshnik also told TASS that the administration of former US President Joe Biden spared no expense on research in Ukrainian biological laboratories, the results of which could have included the development of biological weapons, specialized viruses, or assessments of the impact of deadly biological developments on Slavic populations.

Potential Accusations Against Kiev

Leonid Slutsky, head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, said the Kiev regime could face accusations of turning Ukrainian territory into a testing ground for biological weapons. He recalled that in 2022-2023, the State Duma and the Federation Council conducted a parliamentary investigation involving Russian and foreign experts. According to Slutsky, one of the commission's conclusions was that Ukraine had been implementing military-related projects under the guise of medical and biological activities, in violation of the Biological Weapons Convention.

Perspectives

Russian Officials and Experts

Russian officials and experts, including Miroshnik, Slutsky, Rozhin, Shablya, and Nikulin, uniformly allege that US-funded biolabs in Ukraine pose a threat to global health, violate international law, and deceive American taxpayers. They claim evidence exists of biological weapons research and call for scrutiny of US activities.

US Officials (as quoted in reports)

Tulsi Gabbard, as quoted by the New York Post, has announced a probe into the biolabs, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as revealing the catastrophic impact of dangerous pathogen research. The reports also note that the Biden administration previously denied the existence of US biological laboratories in Ukraine, dismissing such claims as propaganda.