US moving bioweapons research out of Ukraine: Russia

The head of Russia’s Nuclear Biological and Chemical Defense Troops said the US military is moving its illegal biological weapons research out of Ukraine to other countries after reports about it have been leaked.

“The Pentagon is actively working to transfer its unfinished research projects to the countries in Central Asia and Eastern Europe,” Igor Kirillov insisted during a briefing on Saturday, RT reported.

He added that the Americans have also been boosting cooperation with Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, Kenya and some other nations in the Indo-Pacific and Africa, with “the US Department of Defense being most interested in countries that already possess laboratories with a high level of bioсontainment.”

The Russian commander said data on illegal operations of US laboratories in Ukraine was presented at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons conference, which was held in Geneva between November 28 and December 16.

He said the data included “documentary evidence that work with components of biological weapons and studies of pathogens of especially dangerous and economically significant infections had been carried out on the territory of Ukraine with financial, scientific, technical and personnel support of the US.”

The official revealed that the documents obtained by Russia during its military operation in Ukraine reveal that “military-biological programs” have been performed by such organizations as Mechnikov Anti-Plague Research Institute in Kiev, Institute of Veterinary Medicine in Kharkov and Lviv-based Research Institute of Epidemiology and Hygiene.

Kirillov added that those files also mentioned three Pentagon contractors and seven high-ranking officials of the US Department of Defense.

A report by the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) on its work in Ukraine confirmed “the conduct of exercises and training activities with pathogens of especially dangerous infections” in Ukraine, the Russian commander said, adding that 80% of this report’s content had been redacted.

He said the head of the American delegation at the conference refused to respond to Russia’s accusations of violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) by the US.

“Such a stance by the US and its blocking of any initiatives to resume work on the verification mechanism of the CWC once again confirms that Washington has something to hide, and that ensuring transparency in terms of compliance with the convention doesn’t play into the hands of the Americans,” he said.

Russia has formerly said it has discovered signs of several bio laboratories in Ukraine.

The laboratories were reportedly working on pathogens that could be used in the production of the banned biological weapons.

Russia said it has also found documents that the Pentagon-funded this research.

Kirillov had previously warned this can create “a real threat of large-scale use of biological weapons in Russian territory.”

He said the patent for a drone capable of dispersing insects infected with dangerous pathogens had been registered in the United States, meaning such a device has already been developed and was functioning.

The patent's description, according to Kirillov, details that the device could be used to kill or incapacitate enemy troops without any threat to the US military.

Both Ukraine and Russia have signed a treaty outlawing biological weapons. But Russia has for years said former Soviet countries were manufacturing biological weapons at laboratories funded by the United States. 

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