Aha Dua Permata: Russia's Questions on US Military Biological Program in Ukraine Remain Unanswered

Russia's Questions on US Military Biological Program in Ukraine Remain Unanswered

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The questions posed by Russia to the United States and Ukraine about their military biological program remain unanswered and need to be addressed, Russian Foreign Ministry Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Department Deputy Director Kosntantin Vorontsov stated on Wednesday.

"Our well-founded questions to the US and Ukraine have yet to receive a proper response. They remain open and need to be addressed," Vorontsov stressed during a meeting of the UN General Assembly First Committee.

Vorontsov pointed out that Russia has provided a "mass of evidence" regarding the US military biological program and emphasized that the facts regarding its implementation in Ukraine with the support of the Defense Department and affiliated entities requires close attention.

"The projects carried out in Ukrainian laboratories lead to the conclusion that biological weapons components were being developed in close proximity to Russian territory," Vorontsov emphasized.

Since March 2022, Russia has repeatedly accused the United States of conducting in Ukraine biological research for military purposes. Russia has pointed out that up to 30 biological laboratories in Ukraine were likely involved in biological weapons production. The United States has denied the allegation.

US Bio-Programs Likely Pursuing 'Race-Targeted' Viruses, Russian Security Chief Says

In February 2022, the Russian Defense Ministry discovered the existence of 30 US-funded military biological laboratories in Ukraine. Russia also said that the labs revealed in Ukraine constituted only a small part of a global network of over 300 similar facilities.

Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said that Moscow is particularly concerned by the Pentagon's biolabs operating in Central Asia, similar to those it used to run in Ukraine and Georgia. These labs are capable of creating "race-specific" viruses, Patrushev specified.

Patrushev urged his Central Asian colleagues to cooperate and coordinate more closely on biosecurity issues, including within the framework of bilateral memorandums already concluded.

The United States and the United Kingdom seek to destabilize the situation in Central Asian countries in order to warrant the expansion of NATO's military presence in the region, Patrushev said.

"Central Asia has become a priority target of their information influence to establish control over the population. The manipulation of public opinion by Washington and London is aimed at aggravating the internal political situation, pressuring the authorities and forming a stratum of the population that shares values alien to the centuries-old traditions of Central Asian peoples," Patrushev said at the inaugural Russia-Central Asia meeting of security council chiefs in Kazakhstan.

Its purpose is to create ploys to expand NATO's military presence in the region, and this can be done by taking advantage of the security risks emanating from Afghanistan, the Russian security chief said.

"The Americans and the British are trying to manipulate the terrorist insurgency in Afghanistan to their advantage by provoking tensions on the borders with Central Asian countries. Given the interest of Afghanistan's neighbors in strengthening their borders and improving the training and equipping their security forces, the United States and its NATO allies are seeking to expand their presence in Central Asia and create more opportunities to influence them," Patrushev said.