DISINFO: China and Russia are worried about in-transparent US biological laboratories on Russia's borders
SUMMARY
Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already raised the attention to the fact, that Washington maybe be engaged in developing pathogens for serious diseases, including for military purposes. According to experts, the position of Moscow and Beijing is quite justified, since such laboratories [in former Soviet Republics] cannot be controlled and it is unrealistic to verify the results of their research.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about secret laboratories on Russia's borders. See related examples of disinformation about the Lugar lab in Georgia. There is no evidence to claim that US is developing biological weapons. Contrary to the claims of the pro-Kremlin media, the Richard Lugar Center for Public Health Research in Tbilisi, Georgia, is a facility of the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC). The Lugar centre is a top-tiered institution in NCDC’s laboratory network and serves as a reference laboratory for Georgia’s public health system. In no case has this laboratory designed, redesigned or built biological weapons. Read more about the Lugar lab on Myth Detector. In Ukraine, the US supports the research against dangerous infectious diseases through the Biological Threat Reduction Program. In the wake of a disinformation campaign about the US-Ukraine cooperation to reduce biological threats, the US Embassy in Ukraine reaffirmed that the country offers its support to ensure Ukraine can detect and report outbreaks caused by dangerous pathogens before they pose security or stability threats. See related disinformation cases alleging that US laboratories in Ukraine are deadly; that COVID-19 brings attention to secret US laboratories on the borders of US and China; that US is afraid of leakage of infectious substances on its territory so it builds secret laboratories in colonized countries.