Russia: US-funded Bio Labs in Ukraine Conducted Research into Bat Coronavirus

By Staff, Agencies

The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Thursday that the US-funded biological labs located in Ukraine were conducting experiments with bat coronavirus samples.

“According to the documents, the American side planned to conduct work on pathogens of birds, bats, and reptiles in Ukraine in 2022, with a further transition to studying the possibility of carrying African swine fever and anthrax,” chief spokesman for the Ministry of Defense Major General Igor Konashenkov said.

In addition, the facilities were studying the possible spread of pathogens via wild birds, migrating between Russia, Ukraine, and other countries in the region.

“The purpose of this - and other Pentagon-funded biological research in Ukraine, was to create a mechanism for the covert spread of deadly pathogens,” he added.

Konashenkov further unveiled that “The Russian Defense Ministry will soon publish the documents received from staff at the Ukrainian biolaboratories, as well as the results of their examination.”

The Russian MoD noted the United States spent more than $200 million on the work of biological laboratories in Ukraine - the laboratories of the central sanitary and epidemiological directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry participated in the US military biological program.

While the US initially slammed information about its bio warfare labs in Ukraine as "fake", on Tuesday, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland admitted the existence of US-funded "biological research facilities" in the country.

Moscow has spent years expressing concerns about the activities of US-funded biolabs in Ukraine and other post-Soviet republics, including Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, and Georgia.