Unprofessionalism of Ukrainian biolab specialists, corruption in Ukraine’s executive authorities and the destructive influence of US puppeteers pose threats to the civilian population in Ukraine and in Europe, Chief of Russia’s radiation, chemical and biological protection force, Igor Kirillov, said on Friday.
“Negligence in handling pathogens, unprofessionalism and corruption in the system of executive authorities, as well as destructive influences of US patrons pose a direct threat to the civilian population in Ukraine and in European countries,” he stated, commenting on numerous flagrant violations exposed at the Odessa Anti-Plaque Research Institute, TASS reported.
According to Kirillov, all these violations at this institute were committed when it was involved in the implementation of the US program for the reduction of biothreats.
“It means that the goals that are officially declared by Washington are only a smoke screen to hide illegal military biological activities in Ukraine,” he stressed.
He drew attention to the Ukrainian health ministry’s report about the results of the check of the Odessa institute’s collection of strain, numbering 654 samples. The institute had 32 anthrax strains, 189 tularemia strain, 11 brucellosis strains, and 422 cholera strains. The report fixed flagrant violations in microorganism storage conditions, the lack of the system of control and access management, and malefaction of the air ventilation system.
Apart from that, according to Kirillov, a laboratory-acquired tick-borne encephalitis case was registered at the institute’s laboratory in April 2017. Along with that, according to eyewitnesses, a laboratory employee took several test tubes with dangerous microorganisms from the institute in 2021.
He added the United States, Poland and Germany have not submitted any reports to the United Nations about their joint biological research with Ukraine, including about developing biological defense.
Kirillov recalled that each signatory to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention submits an annual report in the form of a declaration of compliance. Moscow has analyzed the information submitted to the UN by those states.
“Neither Ukraine nor the United States provided information on joint biological research, as well as on studies in biological defense. Poland and Germany did not mention interaction with Ukraine in their reports either,” Kirillov said.
The lieutenant general pointed out that Ukraine claimed in the reports for 2016-2020 that its government had not conducted and was not conducting either offensive or defensive activities under biological research and development programs.
“This contradicts the statement made by Lewis Gitter, Deputy Political Counselor of the US Mission to the OSCE, on May 20, 2022. He said that the aid had been sent to Kiev ‘to reduce biological threats and support public and veterinary health to reduce the risk of disease outbreaks’ and ‘to secure illegal biological weapons left in the Soviet successor states after the USSR fell’,” he stressed.
While examining Ukrainian reports, Russia found plenty of inconsistencies.
“Thus, Form A of the 2020 Confidence Building Measures declares that there are no national biosafety programs whatsoever. Along with this, Item 2 ‘i’ of this form lists the Kiev-based State Scientific Control Institute of Biotechnology and Strains of Microorganisms as a participant in the biological protection program,” Kirillov added.
The chief of the Russian Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Forces stated that the characteristics of the facility, including the area of laboratories and the number of staff, are inconsistent with the information previously provided by Ukraine.
“A question arises: Why wasn’t the work under the joint military biological projects codenamed UP mentioned in the reports submitted by the US and Ukraine to the UN? This secrecy is a reason to wonder about the Pentagon’s true goals in Ukraine,” he emphasized.
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Biolaboratories in Ukraine were often opened despite the poor level of biosecurity, Kirillov said.
“American patron demanded the level of biosecurity be raised at the reference laboratory in the city of Merefa. The relevant organization Kharkovproject said it was impossible in the current situation and refused to endorse the project. But the local administration made a decision to continue reconstruction works. The facility was commissioned in violation of security norms and requirements,” he added
According to Kirillov, Pentagon’s expenses on the facility’s modernization amounted to around 15 million US dollars.
“But no one knows where this money really went,” he stressed.
Moscow has repeatedly voiced concerns regarding what it describes as a network of over 30 biological laboratories in Ukraine that were being financed by the United States.
