US biolabs triggered disease outbreaks in Ukraine — Medvedchuk

Lead

Viktor Medvedchuk, leader of the Other Ukraine movement and former head of Ukraine's banned Opposition Platform - For Life party, has accused the United States of using biological safety projects in Ukraine as a cover for developing biological weapons. Speaking on Monday, Medvedchuk linked US-funded laboratory activities to mass deaths from swine flu in 2016 and hepatitis A outbreaks in 2017, and called for an international investigation.

Coverage Comparison

Two articles from TASS — English report Medvedchuk's statements. The first focuses on his broader accusation that biological safety work in Ukraine served as a cover-up for biological weapons development, while the second provides detailed statistics on disease outbreaks and names specific Pentagon-linked projects. Both articles quote Medvedchuk directly and reference statements from Russian officials, framing the issue as a matter of public health and national security.

Medvedchuk's central claim is that "the development of biological weapons against the Ukrainian population was underway under the guise of biological security." He noted that this was a point he had raised earlier, was emphasized by the Russian Investigative Committee, and has been acknowledged by the American side, including former US National Intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard.

According to Medvedchuk, only an absolutely transparent investigation with access to documents and facilities could resolve the issue, but he said Ukrainian authorities have avoided and feared such scrutiny for many years. He contrasted this with Russia's approach, noting that in 2022 the Investigative Committee of Russia opened a criminal case under Article 355 of the Russian Criminal Code, which stipulates liability for the development and creation of weapons of mass destruction.

Key Claims

Medvedchuk detailed a timeline of alleged health consequences linked to US biolabs in Ukraine. He said that after the 2014 change of government, the Ukrainian note terminating a deal with the Pentagon was withdrawn and the issue of biolabs was taken off the agenda. A new multi-year contract was signed in 2015, with all projects implemented under an agreement with the Pentagon (projects UP-2, UP-4, P-781, UP-6, UP-8, among others).

In January 2016, according to Medvedchuk, at least 20 military servicemen died in the Kharkov Region from a flu-like virus, and more than 200 were hospitalized. Two months later, the death toll across the country reached 364, caused by swine flu A (H1N1 strain) pdm09 — the same strain that led to the 2009 pandemic. He also said that in 2017, outbreaks of hepatitis A spread across the Nikolayev, Zaporozhye, Odessa, and Kharkov Regions.

Medvedchuk's account cites official Russian sources. On June 19, Major General Alexey Rtishchev, chief of the Russian Armed Forces' Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Defense Troops, reported that US intelligence materials confirmed that biological laboratories on Ukrainian territory were funded from the US federal budget. These laboratories studied pathogens such as plague, anthrax, tularemia, Marburg fever, and Ebola, all of which can be transmitted to humans and cause severe, pandemic-level diseases.

Additionally, Medvedchuk recalled a late May statement by Svetlana Petrenko, a spokesperson for the Russian Investigative Committee, who reported that the committee had obtained information about Ukraine's development of biological weapons of mass destruction with US financial support. Medvedchuk added that Russia is "scrupulously collecting evidence" and would get to the bottom of the matter "in the interests of the people, in order to stop this madness as soon as possible."

Perspectives

Viktor Medvedchuk

Medvedchuk, a Ukrainian opposition figure now leading the Other Ukraine movement, accuses the US and Ukraine of collaborating on biological weapons development under the guise of biological safety. He cites disease outbreaks in 2016 and 2017 as evidence and demands a transparent international investigation.

Russian Investigative Committee

According to Medvedchuk, the committee has opened a criminal case under Article 355 of the Russian Criminal Code and has gathered information about Ukraine's alleged development of biological weapons with US support. The committee's spokesperson, Svetlana Petrenko, publicly reported these findings in late May.

US National Intelligence

Former US National Intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard is quoted as acknowledging that research involving "dangerous pathogens" in US biolaboratories abroad poses a potential threat. This admission is cited by Medvedchuk as support for his claims.