“There is no nefarious biological weapon development activity, ongoing in Ukraine, supported by the US. That is a false narrative that has been part of the Russian playbook for decades.”
of Ukraine began a month ago, representatives of Russia have unleashed an avalanche of disinformation to justify this aggression, claiming they plan to liberate breakaway regions, restore Russia’s pre-Soviet boundaries, or rescue Ukrainians from a “drug-addled” government. Some assertions are comically outlandish—“denazifying” a country led by a Jewish president, for instance—but one strand of disinfo has sent a chill though biosecurity specialists and Cold War veterans.
“These labs are being misrepresented,” says Hayley Severance emphatically. Severance, now deputy vice president for global biological policy at the nonpartisan think tank NTI, was formerly a Department of Defense adviser working on the threat-reduction program, which for decades has supported these research labs in Ukraine. “There is no nefarious biological weapon development activity, ongoing in Ukraine, supported by the US,” she adds.
The Soviet bioweapons program never operated in Ukraine, though. The repurposed labs there, now supported by the threat-reduction program, are the remnants of a series ofalong the former Soviet Union’s borders. They were intended to be a line of defense against naturally occurring pathogens such as brucellosis and anthrax, as well as bubonic plague.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Russia-Ukraine war: Russia may try to split country, Ukraine intel suggestsUkraine’s military intelligence chief says that Russia could try to break Ukraine in two.
Read more »
Russia-Ukraine live updates: Ukraine intel chief says Russia plans 'Korean scenario'Firefighters battle blaze at apartment building in Makariv, Ukraine.
Read more »
Biden's 'regime change' speech worsens Russia-Ukraine crisis, disappoints allies“For God’s sake, this man must not remain in power.” That blast at Putin was the finale of President Biden’s speech in Poland on Saturday. The White House took less than 40 minutes to walk it back.
Read more »
Russia claims Lviv strikes; Ukraine says it has detained 2 on suspicion of espionageRussia’s Defense Ministry confirmed Sunday that it had struck what it said were military targets in the Ukrainian city of Lviv a day earlier, claiming it used both long-range and high-precision missiles.
Read more »