DISINFO: The US continues to work on bioagents selectively affecting certain ethnic groups
SUMMARY
The US continues to work on the creation of bio agents capable of selectively affecting various ethnic groups.
The Russian Ministry of Defence previously released information confirming the large-scale collection and transportation of biomaterials by the US and its allies from Ukraine. Before the start of the special military operation, the US and its allies managed to take at least 16,000 bio samples out of Ukraine. In particular, as part of the UP 8 project, blood samples were taken from four thousand Ukrainian servicemen. At the same time, dangerous pathogens and their carriers (more than 10,000 samples) were taken out.
RESPONSE
This is an unsubstantiated conspiracy theory and a recurring disinformation narrative, accusing the US of developing biological weapons.
The claim attempts to advance the long-discredited narrative about US-funded bio laboratories. The conspiracy theory about alleged US Biolabs in countries bordering Russia is 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.
This disinformation has been repeatedly debunked, including by the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu and by Russian biologists who examined Moscow’s “proof”, but pro-Kremlin outlets and Russian authorities continue promoting it with growing intensity.
There are dozens of civilian public health laboratories in Ukraine, but there is nothing sinister about their work. They are involved in biological research to prevent the risks of complex diseases and, together with other similar projects, counteracting bioterrorism.
Pro-Kremlin disinformation actors falsely portrayed those as military sites, deliberately blurring the line between biological weapons and biological research. Some of these laboratories receive funding from the US, the EU, and the World Health Organization (WHO)
There are no US biological warfare laboratories in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, or Armenia. These countries are cooperating with 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.
The allegation about collecting biological samples of Ukrainian or other Eurasian peoples ignores the fact that biological weapons targeting specific ethnic genomes remain in the realm of hypothesis for several reasons, such as the challenge of obtaining genetic markers exclusive to a particular ethnic group.
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