The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has responded to new claims regarding biological laboratories in Ukraine
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has rejected new allegations regarding the alleged existence of “American biolaboratories” in the country and the development of biological weapons. The ministry emphasized that Ukraine is fulfilling its international obligations, and that all such claims have been repeatedly investigated and found to be completely unfounded.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has responded to the latest wave of claims regarding the alleged existence of U.S.-funded “biolaboratories” in the country and the possible development of biological weapons.
The diplomatic agency stated that such accusations are baseless and that Ukraine has never engaged in the creation or stockpiling of biological weapons. “Once again, we reject these baseless accusations and emphasize that Ukraine consistently fulfills its international obligations under the Convention on the Prohibition of Biological and Toxin Weapons,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.
The ministry noted that recently, manipulations regarding Ukraine-U.S. cooperation programs in the field of biosafety and public health have begun to spread again. Ukrainian diplomats emphasized that this cooperation has been ongoing for many years and concerns exclusively civilian areas. This includes the development of public health systems, epidemiological surveillance, laboratory diagnostics, as well as the strengthening of biosafety and biosecurity. “Cooperation between Ukraine and the United States in the field of biosafety has for many years been aimed exclusively at strengthening the capabilities of the public health system,” the ministry emphasized.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that the institutions participating in international technical assistance programs are ordinary scientific and diagnostic laboratories. They operate in the fields of public health, veterinary medicine, and scientific research and have no connection to military programs. The ministry noted that Russia has been promoting the “biolaboratory” narrative for many years, using it as part of its propaganda. Since the start of the full-scale war, Moscow has repeatedly voiced such accusations in international forums. However, they have never received any confirmation.
In particular, in 2022, at Russia’s request, an official consultative process was held with the participation of states party to the Convention on the Prohibition of Biological and Toxin Weapons. During these consultations, Ukraine provided all necessary information regarding international cooperation programs, their objectives, and implementation mechanisms. “Based on the results of the consultations, the allegations regarding the alleged development of biological weapons or the operation of military biological programs in Ukraine found no confirmation,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized.
This issue was also considered by the UN Security Council. There, Russia was also unable to provide any evidence to support its claims. In December 2023, Ukraine once again reaffirmed its position at a meeting of the Convention’s member states. Kyiv stated that all issues had already been thoroughly addressed during the 2022 consultations, and that cooperation with international partners fully complies with international law. “Ukraine remains committed to the principles of transparency, international cooperation, and strengthening the global biosafety system,” the Foreign Ministry stated.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also called for reliance on verified facts and the results of international consultations, rather than on “distorted interpretations or Russian propaganda.” This was stated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
As a reminder, a new wave of debate arose after U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released information about U.S. funding for over 120 laboratories in more than 30 countries worldwide where research on biological pathogens is conducted. Ukraine was also mentioned in the statement from the U.S. intelligence office. In particular, it was noted that laboratories located here may be at risk due to the Russian-Ukrainian war.
At the same time, the Ukrainian side emphasizes that these are civilian health programs, and allegations of biological weapons development have been repeatedly refuted at the international level.
