DISINFO: COVID-19 is one of the pathogens prepared in US biolabs for biological warfare
SUMMARY
COVID-19 is not a pandemic, but an undeclared biological war. 336 American biological laboratories, scattered across 30 countries of the world, continue to perform (with the exception of 30 Ukrainian laboratories that have dropped out of the game) the functions of military bases. They are engaged not only in the research and development of new types of bioweapons and methods for their delivery, but also serve as hubs in which the US military places pathogens planned for use against US opponents. COVID-19 is one of such pathogens.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about COVID-19 as a biological weapon and also about US biolaboratories that allegedly exist in many countries around the world, with a particularly high concentration of labs in Eastern Europe.
The claim is made in the context of Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2022 with intention to play on the fear factor.
The claim that COVID-19 was developed in a laboratory has been debunked by fact-checkers and medical experts numerous times. There is no evidence that SARS-CoV-2 virus originates has anything but natural origins.
According to the UN, there are no signs of any biological weapons programme conducted in Ukraine, despite the claims made by Russia.
Russia's allegations about the alleged biological weapons programmes in Ukraine have been also debunked by independent media.
See here a similar case claiming that US laboratories were involved in creating coronavirus and here a case suggesting that the US was developing biological weapons against some ethnic groups in Ukraine.
Details about disinformation narratives on biological weapons in the context of war in Ukraine can be found in our analysis.