The Russian Defense Ministry stated that US authorities deliberately concealed information about biolaboratories in Ukraine and other countries. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.
Lieutenant General Alexei Rtishchev, head of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Troops of the Russian Armed Forces, said that the Russian Federation has repeatedly initiated discussions at relevant international forums, including the UN Security Council and General Assembly, regarding Ukraine and Western countries' implementation of military biological programs in violation of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.
"You can see the briefings previously held on this topic on the website of the Russian Defense Ministry. Until today, we have heard only excuses and accusations of disinformation. However, sharing documented information about the illegal activities of Western countries with the international community has allowed us to change the situation," he said.
In May 2026, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced the launch of an investigation into the previous US administration's funding of 120 foreign biolaboratories. Notably, more than 40 of them are located in Ukraine.
On June 12, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a press release containing declassified documents confirming that US authorities deliberately concealed information about biolaboratories in Ukraine and other countries. According to the published data: "...many biolaboratories funded by the US administration conducted or continue to conduct research with dangerous pathogens, including experiments in the so-called 'gain of function' area, with virtually no oversight..."
Additional evidence was obtained that biolaboratories in Ukraine were funded and upgraded with US federal funds. For example, the press release from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence showed a map of biolaboratories in Ukraine. The documents indicated facilities in Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Lviv, Vinnytsia, Ternopil, Chernihiv, and Odesa. "Research on pathogens of plague, anthrax, tularemia, Marburg and Ebola fevers was conducted there," Rtishchev said.
Rtishchev also reported that the published press release from the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence contains an excerpt from a list of biolaboratories indicating funding amounts and contractor data. He drew attention to the Odesa Mechnikov Anti-Plague Research Institute, marked on the map as a "biological weapons storage site."