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Disinfo: Georgia and the Lugar Lab intentionally infecting South Ossetians with COVID-19

Summary

American and Georgian specialists who are working on the creation and modification of various pathogens of dangerous diseases in the Lugar Lab are trying to collect biological samples of COVID-19 from South Ossetian citizens. Due to the inability to implement this plan in the territory of South Ossetia, it is possible that the biological samples will be collected from potential violators of the state border. As these manipulations are carried out under the control of the State Security Service of Georgia and US Defense Intelligence Agency, there are real preconditions for the deliberate infection of South Ossetian citizens.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative concerning the coronavirus pandemic and the Tbilisi-based Lugar Lab. This is not the first time that the Lugar Lab and Georgia have been accused of spreading diseases on its occupied territories. See a similar disinformation case here. The Richard Lugar Center for Public Health Research is a facility of the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC), which became operational in August 2013. 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 been designed or redesigned to build biological weapons, though this is a trope in Russian media. Read more about the Lugar lab on Myth Detector.

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Sputnik Ossetia
  • Reported in: Issue 195
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 28/04/2020
  • Outlet language(s)
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Georgian region of South Ossetia, Georgia
  • Keywords: coronavirus, Lugar Laboratory
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