DISINFO: Since 2004, 15 highly dangerous biological laboratories were created throughout Ukraine
SUMMARY
After the Orange Revolution in 2004, 15 of the highly dangerous biological laboratories were created throughout Ukraine – supposedly to help study new infections, under the control and with the money of the US military department DTRA (threat reduction agencies of the US Department of Defence).
RESPONSE
Recurring conspiracy theory alleging that the United States develops biological weapons and has secret biological laboratories around the world.
Russian media are continuously spreading disinformation about "15 secret military biological laboratories in Ukraine". If fact, there are no secret US laboratories in the country. A complete list of medical and scientific laboratories that the Pentagon has supported under the agreement since 2005 is on the website of the US Embassy in Ukraine, along with documents and amounts spent on the reconstruction of a particular facility.
The US Embassy in Ukraine has repeatedly denied the "creation of military biological laboratories" in Ukraine.
The cooperation between Ukraine and the United States in the direction of combating biological terrorism takes place exclusively within the framework of Ukrainian legislation and in the interests of Ukraine.
In 2005, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the U.S. Department of Defence signed a framework agreement on preventing the spread of technologies, pathogens and knowledge that can be used in the development of biological weapons. Within the framework of this Agreement, a number of state laboratories located in Odesa, Kharkiv, Lviv, Kyiv, Vinnitsia, Kherson and Dnipro regions were modernised (repair works were carried out, equipment was updated, consumables were purchased, etc.).
The Security Service of Ukraine emphasises that these laboratories are financed from the state budget, subordinated to the Ministry of Health and the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection.
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