Russian resources continue to actively promote conspiracies about the active work of Western laboratories in Ukraine. This time they spread a fake as if the USA themselves admitted that they conducted experiments on military personnel and mental hospital patients in Ukraine. And they contradicted themselves: simultaneously, they promoted baseless statements, as if now Great Britain and the United States are trying to “sweep their activities under the carpet” in Ukraine.
With the support of the USAID Health Reform Support project, VoxCheck analyzes and refutes public health narratives spread in the information space of Ukraine, Belarus, and russia on a weekly basis.
Fake: The United States admitted that it had conducted experiments on Ukrainian military personnel and patients in mental hospitals
The russian media, with reference to the Ministry of Defense of the russian federation, continue to write as if the USA admitted that it conducted experiments on Ukrainian military personnel, the poor, and the mentally ill. Russian Lieutenant General Igor Kyrylov stated this at a briefing on the meeting of participants of the Biological Weapons Convention.
What’s the reality?
The US mission at the BTWC meeting once again rejected russia’s accusations about the existence of biolaboratories in Ukraine. In the EU, the statements of the russian federation are also called “unfounded and false.”
The official consultative meeting of the Biological Weapons Convention (BTWC) member states was held in Geneva on September 5-9. The State Department’s statement based on the results of the BTWC meeting indicates that the United States and Ukraine showed a series of presentations in which they refuted “absurd and false statements by russia” about the development of biological weapons or the existence of biolaboratories in Ukraine. States Parties confirmed the US statements, with 35 of the 42 participating countries noting the importance of the States’ work in the area of biosafety and biosecurity.
By the way, EU representatives at the BTWC meeting said that they are concerned about russia’s disinformation campaigns. “It is unacceptable that Russia, as part of its attempts to excuse its unjustifiable and unlawful war of aggression against Ukraine, continues to make unsubstantiated and false claims against Ukraine, the United States, and others. These false allegations and disinformation efforts regarding the alleged development and possible use of biological weapons are deeply cynical and serve only to harm international peace and security,” the statement said.
Fake: Great Britain and the USA are trying to hide their biological military activities in Ukraine
Russian media spread conspiracy theories as if London and Washington are trying to “sweep under the carpet” the topic of military biological activity in Ukraine. Ryabkov refers to documents that the russian military allegedly found in laboratories after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He said that many countries take russia’s claims about US biological activities seriously.
What’s the reality?
Previously, VoxCheck already analyzed what “documents” russia called a confirmation of the existence of biolaboratories in Ukraine. None of the documents published by the russian Ministry of Defense contained evidence that Ukraine has military biological programs. Moreover, the russian military never showed the “biolaboratories” themselves, where they allegedly found these documents.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Mykola Tochytskyi explained that Ryabkov’s accusations appeared again after the Official Consultative Meeting of the BTWC member states. “In the factual report based on the results of the Consultative meeting, the russian delegation did not manage to “extend” its sickly insinuations regarding bioweapons in Ukraine in any way. The process initiated by russia in accordance with Article V of the Convention has been ended,” Tochytskyi wrote.
Back in March, the permanent representative of Great Britain at the UN Security Council stated that there is no evidence of the existence of any programs for the development of biological weapons in Ukraine and that russia’s accusations are “false and unsubstantiated.”
The US Department of Defense does not hide that it cooperates with Ukrainian laboratories within the Biological Threat Reduction Program framework. This program is in no way related to military activities, it only provides for the modernization of Ukrainian laboratories and medical facilities, in particular, improving their security, improving monitoring and diagnostic capabilities, etc.
Source: US Department of Defense
Disclaimer: This information piece was produced with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), provided on behalf of the people of the United States of America, and with the support of the United Kingdom Government’s Good Governance Fund program on behalf of the people of Great Britain. This article’s content is the sole responsibility of Deloitte Consulting under contract #72012118C00001. It does not necessarily reflect the views of USAID, the United States Government, UK aid, or the United Kingdom Government.
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