US resumes construction of biolabs in Ukraine amid the ongoing war, says Russian MoD

Amid the raging Russia-Ukraine war, the Russian defence ministry accused the United States of resuming the construction of bio labs in Ukraine. On Friday, Igor Kirillov, the head of the radiation, chemical and biological defence troops of the Russian Armed Forces, stated that the US is not only resuming its construction of the biological laboratories, but they are also expanding its operations by training Ukrainian biologists, Sputnik reported. The Russian scientist made the assertions based on the analysis of the minutes of the meeting of the working group of US and Ukrainian specialists. The meeting in question took place in October last year. 

"Despite the forced pause pertaining to the Russian special military operation (in Ukraine), American activities under the program have now been resumed,” Kirillov told the Russian media on Friday, as per the report by Sputnik. “The main tasks at this stage are to continue the construction of biological laboratories in Ukraine, as well as expand the format for training Ukrainian biologists," Kirillov further added. The Russian official further explained that the meeting which took place in October last year was led by the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). According to Kirillov, delegations from both countries talked about the plans for the implementation of the “Biological Threat Reduction Program" in Ukraine. 

Who are the main perpetrator?

According to Sputnik, the Russian official stated that the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) believed that the US Department of Energy and the Pentagon were directly involved in resuming the construction of bio labs in the war-stricken country. During the conversation with the Russian media, Kirillov also touched upon the claims made by the US Department of Energy about COVID being linked to a Chinese Lab leak. "A legitimate question arises — what does the US Department of Energy have to do with combating biological threats and implementing projects that have signs of dual use?" Kirillov exclaimed. According to Sputnik, in 2023 alone, the US Department of Energy allocated $105 million for research under the Bio-preparedness Research Virtual Environment project.