DISINFO: US military microbiologists continue to develop biological weapons in Georgia
SUMMARY
American military microbiologists continue to work in Georgia, despite the cessation of funding for the Lugar laboratory in Tbilisi. With a high degree of probability, the United States has stopped sponsoring only the healthcare of Georgia, the civilian part, and left the military part.
The Lugar laboratory in Tbilisi was built with Pentagon money. It is necessary to insist that the laboratory switch to peaceful tracks. This is possible only if Georgian scientists work there.
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. This is an attempt to rehash an already debunked claim by abusing the context, i.e. the US decision to pause foreign aid for 90 days as of January 2025 following Donald Trump's return to the White House.
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 also one of the many attempts to justify the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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.
There are no US biological warfare laboratories in Georgia, 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.
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