Russia and China demanded that the United States explain what the American biological laboratories in Ukraine were working on. The White House denies all accusations of creating biological weapons, but the Republican Party and some media do not share the position of the authorities.
On the evening of March 11, the UN Security Council met for a special meeting, convened at the request of Russia, to discuss the military biological activities of the United States in Ukraine. The reason for Moscow’s concern was the documents that came into the possession of the Russian Defense Ministry, according to which the American side formed a network of biological laboratories on Ukrainian territory. The Russian military department claims that dangerous biological experiments were carried out at the facilities aimed at amplifying pathogens of various deadly diseases.
“This work is being funded and directly supervised by the US Department of Defense’s Office of Defense Threat Reduction, including in the interests of the US Department of Defense’s National Center for Medical Intelligence,” said Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya at the meeting.
In his speech, the diplomat repeated the main conclusions of the Russian Ministry of Defense, pointing out the existence of facts of an emergency cleansing by the Kiev regime of traces of the US-sponsored military biological program being implemented in Ukraine, and data on studies of bats, fleas and ticks “as carriers of potential agents of biological weapons.”
China has joined the rhetoric of Russia. According to the representative of China to the UN Zhang Jun, Moscow’s concerns about bioweapons in Ukraine should be treated with due attention. He also urged Washington to clarify its biological militarization activities at home and abroad.
The response of US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield to the concerns of both Russia and China did not differ from the official reaction of the White House to the data of the Russian Defense Ministry published in early March. Thus, the diplomat announced that Ukraine has no biological weapons programs and biolaboratories supported by the United States. All of Moscow’s suspicions are part of a “disinformation” campaign, she said.
“The louder and more unfounded our colleagues try to shift the blame on us, the more we are convinced that we hit the mark when talking about their rather impartial activities in Ukraine,” Nebenzya said in response to Thomas-Greenfield’s speech.
How labs hurt the US
Russia suspects the United States of possible violations of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC). The White House, the Pentagon and the State Department took a unified position in response to the accusations from Moscow, writing off the data provided by the Russian Ministry of Defense as “disinformation” and “propaganda”. However, at the same time, the United States not only acknowledged the presence of laboratories in Ukraine, but also started talking about the danger of their falling under the control of the Russian Federation.
“There are biological research facilities in Ukraine, in fact, we are now quite concerned that the Russian military may try to take control of them. So we are working with the Ukrainians to ensure that they can prevent any of these research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces if they get close,” Assistant Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said at a congressional hearing.
So the representative of the State Department answered the question of whether there are biological weapons in Ukraine, which launched a chain of criticism of the White House from representatives of the Republican Party and a number of media outlets. For example, Fox News host Tucker Carlson noted that with her statement, Nuland confirmed that “Russian disinformation,” which the United States called lies and insanity, is the absolute truth.
A congressional candidate, Republican Robert Regan pointed to the existence of examples of the use of biological weapons by the Ukrainian leadership. Therefore, according to him, Ukraine should not be considered completely innocent.
“Ukraine has some history of corruption – money laundering, smuggling, biological weapons, drugs (…) I want to know what is really going on. That is why I am in no hurry to declare: “We must immediately condemn Putin,” the politician emphasized.
The issue of biolaboratories has become a topic of political discussion within the United States, according to Americanist political scientist Malek Dudakov.
“We are seeing the opposite reaction from the liberal media, which are trying to refute all this, referring to official statements, and the opinion of the American right-wing conservative public, which is now in opposition to the authorities. Republicans have had a staunch distrust of anything associated with the Washington establishment since the Trump era — this overlaps with popular theories among the American right, including the alleged “escape” of the coronavirus from the Wuhan lab,” the expert explained.
From Suslov’s point of view, internal issues over laboratories in the United States may also arise, most likely on the eve of the midterm elections to Congress – the Republicans will use any opportunity to attack the White House.
Will Russia be able to use the situation
Within the framework of the BTWC, there are special procedures that allow starting an official check of biological laboratories for violations of the biological weapons convention. However, much depends on the further steps of Moscow and Beijing.
“If the Russian side manages to find serious evidence on these points and present them to the judgment of the world community, then the West will really have to react. Relevant documents are already being submitted to international institutions, and if successful, the United States will have to somehow respond, which will be actively discussed within the country.
In fact, Russia can take advantage of the contradictions in American society, especially the distrust of the right-wing American public in the government, which is ready, if not to believe Moscow, then to ask uncomfortable questions to its own government, ”said political scientist Malek Dudakov.
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