DISINFO: The US develops biological weapons in Ukrainian laboratories
SUMMARY
The US develops biological weapons in Ukrainian laboratories. The Americans have achieved far greater success with the expansion of biological laboratories in Ukraine. There are at least 15 such facilities, the American Embassy in Kyiv admitted a few months ago – all of them supervised by the Pentagon. The first laboratory is said to have been founded in 2005, still under President Yushchenko. Nevertheless, Washington declares (without giving any concrete details) that the facilities will only serve civilian, scientific purposes. Experts assume, however, that biological weapons will be developed there.
RESPONSE
Recurring conspiracy theory alleging that the United States develops biological weapons and has secret biological laboratories around the world. The disinformation claim also capitalises on the oft-recurring conspiracy theory about laboratories in Ukraine, as well as the Lugar Lab in Georgia. 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. Read further debunk by StopFake.org. See similar disinfo cases alleging that there are dangerous American labs close to the Russian border and that Pentagon controls the work of 15 bacteriological laboratories in Ukraine.