DISINFO: Ukraine became a US testing site for developing biological weapons
SUMMARY
The statement of the US Embassy that there are American biological laboratories in Ukraine, puts the country in the same basket as Georgia and turns it in a testing ground for development of new types of biological weapons. [Supposedly] these biological laboratories were built “to benefit” Ukrainians. They develop various new viruses and then test vaccines against them on Ukrainians. It is scary that Ukraine has become a testing ground for the creation and testing of new types of biological weapons.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative that the US is building biological laboratories in Eastern Europe, particularly in Ukraine and Georgia. For instance, see this claim alleging that the US experimented on people in Georgia. Ukraine and the US have signed a partnership agreement to reduce biological threats. "The U.S. Department of Defence’s Biological Threat Reduction Program works with the Ukrainian Government to consolidate and secure pathogens and toxins of security concern in Ukrainian government facilities, while allowing for peaceful research and vaccine development. We also work with our Ukrainian partners to ensure Ukraine can detect and report outbreaks caused by dangerous pathogens before they pose security or stability threats," informs the US Embassy in Ukraine in a recent statement. The US State Department supports the activities of the Ministry of Health, State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection, National Academy of Agrarian Sciences, and the Ministry of Defence in order to study and reduce different types of biological threats in Ukraine and worldwide. Ukraine, the European Union, the United States, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Uzbekistan are also members of the Science and Technology Center in Ukraine that seeks to advance global peace and prosperity through cooperative Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) risk mitigation. See also previous narratives claiming that Ukraine became a testing site for US biological weapons here and here and that the epidemic of measles in Ukraine was caused by US laboratories.