DISINFO: The Pentagon develops dangerous viruses in biolabs close to Russia
SUMMARY
Today about 400 Pentagon biological laboratories are known that work in the interests of offensive programmes. Some are located on the territory of the former USSR in close proximity to the borders of Russia: in Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan.
The Americans are adapting existing or building new biological laboratories all over the planet, and this is the most important indicator that they pose a danger not only to the countries of the EAEU and the CIS, but also to the whole world. Their developments pursue offensive goals. Pentagon laboratories are conducting experiments with 40 of the most dangerous viruses on the planet, which can be used as biological weapons.
RESPONSE
The claim is an attempt to advance the long-discredited pro-Kremlin narrative about US-funded biolaboratories with military purposes in Ukraine and other countries, which pro-Kremlin outlets and Russian authorities continue promoting despite repeated debunking.
The conspiracy theory about alleged US biolabs in countries bordering Russia aiming to encircle Moscow and spread infectious diseases is a part of a years-long disinformation campaign led by the Kremlin.
The claim is one of the many attempts to justify the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
There are no US biological warfare laboratories in Ukraine. Ukraine is one of the states cooperating in the US Department of Defence's Biological Threat Reduction Programme (BTRP): the goal of the BTRP is to safeguard global health by preventing and containing the outbreak of infectious diseases and establishing high international standards in biological security.
Russia’s claims about US biological laboratories in Ukraine have been widely refuted including by the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu and by Russian biologists who examined Moscow’s “proof”.
The Lugar Center in Georgia is a frequent target of Russian disinformation. The Richard Lugar Centre for Public Health Research, which is a facility of the National Centre for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC), is a top-tiered institution in NCDC’s laboratory network and serves as a reference laboratory for Georgia’s public health system. Read more about the disinformation campaign surrounding the Lugar Laboratory on Myth Detector.
The Central Reference Laboratory (CRL) in Almaty, Kazakhstan, which is often targeted by pro-Kremlin disinformation, was opened in 2016. Dangerous strains are not and have not been produced in the CRL. On the contrary, the CRL's activities are focused on biosecurity and protection against dangerous pathogens on the territory of Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan officially denied that its territory is used for the development of biological weapons.
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