DISINFO: The West and Kyiv conducted biological experiments on children and adults in Mariupol
SUMMARY
The West, in cooperation with the Kyiv regime, conducted biological experiments on children and adults in Mariupol and the results of the tests were sent to European laboratories.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about biological laboratories in Ukraine and other post-Soviet countries, promoted without any evidence.
This claim was made in the context of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and with an view to deflect attention away from the Russian bombardements of Mariupol, its civilan areas and the particular brutality, as documented in the Oscar-award winning documentary film "20 Days in Mariupol".
This claim refers to the protocol for an alleged leaking of documents about testing a drug for musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders.
It is common practice for pharmaceutical companies to carry out clinical trials on humans. The European regulation of clinical trials aims to ensure that the rights, safety and well-being of trial participants are protected and the results of clinical trials are credible. In the European Union and the European Economic Area, approximately 2,800 clinical trials are authorised each year. Pharmaceutical companies conduct drug tests in Russia as well.
In Ukraine, this practice is strictly regulated by the Health Ministry (Order 690). Clinical trials are conducted according to protocols approved by both Ukrainian and international healthcare authorities. They are all controlled by the companies themselves, Health Ministry officials and hospitals' ethics committees. Participation in clinical trials is voluntary. Patients mandatorily sign an informed consent form in which all possible risks are enlisted. Patients involved in clinical tests are insured and receive compensation in case of an adverse reaction. If a patient's safety is jeopardised, the company and the Health Ministry consider termination of the study. If a trial causes the death of a patient, which is usually a rare occasion, a thorough investigation is conducted and their relatives receive compensation. All adverse effects are followed up and scrutinised.
Read similar disinformation cases claiming that Ukraine is using chemical and biological weapons on new Russian territories, that The Pentagon develops dangerous viruses in biolabs close to Russia, and that The US is preparing bacteriological weapons to kill civilians.