US resumes controversial biolabs programme in Ukraine, claims Russia

New Delhi: The US has quietly resumed its controversial biolabs programme in Ukraine and is now concentrating on building new covert facilities and training personnel, according to a Russia Today report, citing the Russian Defence Ministry.

According to the report, commander of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, presented a new trove of documents on alleged US-funded biological programs in Ukraine during a media briefing on Friday.

Kirillov referred to the minutes of a meeting held on 20 October, 2022, which also included representatives of the Jacobs/CH2M engineering firm, the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), and other Ukrainian officials. The topic of discussion at the conference, according to reports, was the restarting of biological research in Ukraine, which had been “paused” because of tensions between Moscow and Kiev.

“Now, the project has been resumed with focus on renewal of legislative support, revision of training schedule, as well as conclusion and resumption of construction work,” the Ukrainian-language protocol stated, citing Jacobs/CH2M’s David Smith.

Programme rebranded

Previously known as ‘Joint biological research’, the programme has been rebranded as ‘Biological control research’, the document indicated. It cited concerns over an alleged “Russian disinformation campaign” on the issue.

According to Kirillov, the US has taken steps to contain the damage in order to stop any disclosures from Ukrainian experts regarding the true nature of the biological research programmes.

“Hiding from responsibility for participating in military biological projects, many suspects left the territory of Ukraine. To prevent a possible leak of information about the illegal activities of the Pentagon, the US administration is taking emergency measures to search for and return them,” the commander argued.

US damage control

US damage control began shortly after the outbreak of the conflict in February 2022, another document suggested. The Russian military presented a draft memo titled ‘Reducing the Threat of Ukrainian Expertise Proliferating to US Adversaries’, penned by Laura Denlinger, a senior counterproliferation adviser with the US State Department.

“The Russian invasion of Ukraine has resulted in… the exodus of highly capable technical experts from Ukrainian facilities that produce missile components and advanced conventional weapons (ACW), as well as those with expertise that could be redirected and exploited by others for a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) weapon,” reads the memo, dated 11 March, 2022.

Moscow raised allegations of a sprawling network of secretive US-funded biological laboratories in Ukraine early in the conflict, and has since frequently published troves of documents on the matter.

Russia took the issue of biolabs to the UN last October, requesting an international probe. The motion, however, was turned down by the UN Security Council, with the US, UK, and France voting against it.

With inputs from agencies

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