US biolabs in Ukraine likely developed offensive weapons — Scott Ritter

Lead

TASS reports that declassified documents from US National Intelligence confirm that biological laboratories in Ukraine were funded from the US state budget and studied a range of dangerous pathogens, including plague, anthrax, tularemia, Marburg fever, and Ebola. The documents, reviewed by TASS, also indicate that the Pentagon invested over $11 million in the design, construction, and equipping of biological laboratories in Ukraine, with the US company Black & Veatch serving as the main contractor.

The revelations have prompted Russian officials and experts to question the purpose of the research. Former US Marine Corps intelligence analyst Scott Ritter told TASS that some of the documents suggest the research was not for defensive purposes but rather for offensive purposes. Ritter also stated that the laboratories violate the Biological Weapons Convention, an assertion the US has not publicly addressed.

Coverage comparison

TASS, the Russian state news agency, has published multiple articles on the matter, drawing on declassified US intelligence materials and interviews with Russian officials and experts. The agency's reporting consistently frames the existence of US-funded biolabs in Ukraine as a matter of concern, with some articles accusing the US of violating international agreements and conducting research that could threaten global security.

One TASS article quotes Lieutenant General Alexey Rtishchev, chief of the Russian army's Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Defense Troops, as saying that Ukrainian biolabs studied pathogens of plague, anthrax, tularemia, Marburg fever, and Ebola. Rtishchev also stated that the Russian army has information about ten military biological projects in Ukraine involving highly dangerous infections, including African swine fever.

Another TASS article highlights the financial aspects, reporting that the Pentagon invested over $11 million in biological laboratories in Ukraine, with Black & Veatch as the main contractor. The article details expenditures on specific facilities, including the Central Reference Laboratory at the Ukrainian Research Anti-Plague Institute, which cost approximately $3.49 million.

A separate TASS report describes the involvement of Ukrainian companies in the construction and equipping of the laboratories. According to declassified documents, subcontractors included Ukrainian firms such as Makrokhim, Mediamax, Tekhno Proekt, and others. The permits for work with highly dangerous pathogens at these facilities were issued by the Ukrainian Health Ministry in 2010-2012.

TASS also reported on reactions from Russian political figures. Senator Alexander Voloshin said Ukraine had become "a testing ground for inhumane scientific experiments" under Western influence. State Duma deputy Leonid Ivlev linked the biolabs to what he called Kiev's "militaristic policy," claiming that Kiev began preparing for conflict with Moscow after the USSR's collapse. Kirill Dmitriev, a Russian presidential special representative, said that Russia had been "telling the truth about biolabs" while the US "deep state and legacy media" denied it.

Key claims

The central claims reported by TASS include:

• Ukrainian biolabs studied pathogens of plague, anthrax, tularemia, Marburg fever, and Ebola, as stated by Lieutenant General Alexey Rtishchev.
• Biolabs in Ukraine were funded from the US state budget, according to American intelligence materials.
• The Russian army has information about ten military biological projects in Ukraine involving highly dangerous infections.
• The Pentagon invested over $11 million in biological laboratories in Ukraine, with Black & Veatch as the main contractor.
• Funding was provided through technical assistance programs, with the Pentagon as donor and the Ukrainian Health Ministry as beneficiary.
• Ukrainian companies were involved in the construction and equipping of the laboratories, and permits for work with highly dangerous pathogens were issued by the Ukrainian Health Ministry.
• The US government funded biolaboratory activities involving dangerous pathogens in over 30 countries, including Ukraine, according to the Office of the US Director of National Intelligence.
• Scott Ritter alleged that the US deliberately violated the Biological Weapons Convention by establishing biolaboratories in Ukraine that could have developed offensive weapons.
• US-funded research in biological labs worldwide may have been for offensive purposes, despite being cited as defensive, Ritter said.

Perspectives

Russian officials and experts

Russian officials and experts argue that the existence of US-funded biolabs in Ukraine confirms long-standing Russian concerns. They assert that the research conducted there may have been for offensive purposes and that the US violated the Biological Weapons Convention. They also claim that the labs align with what they describe as Kiev's militaristic policy.

US Director of National Intelligence

The Office of the US Director of National Intelligence acknowledged funding for over 120 biolabs in more than 30 countries, including Ukraine, and warned that a US-funded biolab in Ukraine "likely housed dangerous pathogens and remained vulnerable to longstanding threats of attack, seizure, or damage."

Pentagon (as cited by US officials)

The Pentagon said in June 2022 that the United States supported 46 biolabs in Ukraine, maintaining that the cooperation was for peaceful purposes, as cited by TASS.