Calls mount for probe into US bio-labs after Russian claim

By Liu Caiyu Published: Apr 08, 2021 09:13 PM

Calls for probes into the US' mysterious bio-labs in order to better understand coronavirus origins are growing after Russia said it has every reason to believe the US is developing biological weapons in labs mainly near the China-Russia border. 

Experts said that investigation of US bio-labs may offer clues to the virus origins; however, the US continues to ignore the international community's questions over its mysterious bio-labs.

Responding to a question about the origin of COVID-19, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said recently that US-controlled biological laboratories appear mainly near Russian and Chinese borders. And there is good reason to believe the US is developing biological weapons in those labs, and that outbreaks of non-typical diseases have been reported around them.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Thursday urged the US to respond to concerns and make comprehensive clarifications on biological militarization activities within and outside the US, and stop blocking the establishment of a verification mechanism under the Biological Weapons Convention.

Li Wei, a research fellow at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times that a thorough investigation of US bio-labs may offer clues to the virus origin.

The US has set up bio-labs in 25 countries and regions across the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia and former Soviet Union, with 16 in Ukraine alone. Some of the places where the labs are based have seen large-scale outbreaks of measles and other dangerous infectious diseases, the ministry said, citing media reports.

The Fort Detrick laboratory that handles high-level disease-causing materials, such as Ebola, in Fredrick, Maryland, was shut after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a cease and desist order against the organization in July 2019, media reported.

USA Today reported that since 2003, hundreds of incidents involving accidental contact with deadly pathogens have occurred in US bio-labs at home and abroad.

Zeng Guang, chief epidemiologist of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told the Global Times on Thursday that while China opened the Wuhan lab to the scientists with an open and welcoming altitude, the US continues to ignore the international community's questions over its mysterious bio-labs.

The US has always been such an arrogant country that only allows itself to use its power to wield sticks against other countries, but not a single peek to reflect on itself, Zeng said.

Only the US government has the answers to these questions and the key to the truth. However, the world clearly understands the US will not easily allow probes into its bio-labs, as it is driven by its usual double standards on international affairs, and a stubborn mindset of hegemony, said Wang Yiwei, director of the institute of international affairs at Renmin University of China.

After their field trips and in-depth visits in China, members of the mission led by the WHO unanimously agreed that the lab leak theory is extremely unlikely, but WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus mentioned a further investigation was needed as the team's probe into a potential lab leak was not sufficient.

More investigations could be done with laboratories around the world, including US bio-labs, if there is further evidence that the hypothesis needs to be reassessed, experts noted.

Any probe should not be treated as a criminal investigation, but the relevant countries should at least cooperate closely with WHO experts in a scientific, open, transparent and responsible manner, as China has done, they said.

In response to a question about an open letter written by 24 researchers from Europe, US, Australia and Japan on a new probe into COVID-19 origins, Zhao said on Thursday's press conference that some individual countries including the US are politicizing the issue, disrupting the cooperation between China and the WHO, smearing China and openly challenging the independent and scientific research by scientists. This harms global cooperation on virus origins-tracing and global efforts in fighting the epidemic.

The so-called open letter on a new probe into COVID-19 origins is merely aimed at pressuring the WHO and members of its expert team, and the COVID-19 origins-tracing work is indeed being hindered by politics, not from China, but from certain countries including the US, Zhao said.

Source; GlobalTimes.cn

Are US-run biological labs in Ukraine one of the reasons behind Russia invasion? Read how Russian govt had raised ‘bioweapons’ alarm

24 February, 2022 : OpIndia Staff

As per the details made available by the US government, the US Department of Defense's Biological Threat Reduction Program has been working with partner countries to "to counter the threat of outbreaks (deliberate, accidental, or natural) of the world's most dangerous infectious diseases."

As Russia has started attacking military installations in Ukraine, there are speculations that the United State’s Biolabs that have been established in Ukraine in the name of research and defence are also among the targets. The US has several such labs in Ukraine under its “Biological Threat Reduction Program”.

Social media has been abuzz with discussions on how the Russian government, in addition to objecting to NATO’s expansion in the region, has been highlighting their concerns, accusing the USA of running bioweapon labs near their border. A Twitter handle named @WarClandenstine (the account has unfortunately been suspended) claimed that it may be a possibility that Russia is targeting the Biolabs. Nothing has been confirmed yet.

1) HOLY SHIT! I think I may be onto something about #Ukraine. 

Zelensky said the Russians are firing at “military installations”. How broad is that term? 

I am seeing speculation that could include US installed biolabs. 

At first I was like no way. 

Then I started digging. pic.twitter.com/tm72HFAXNK 

— Clandestine (@WarClandestine) February 24, 2022

There is a lot of discussion on social media regarding the alleged bioweapons labs run and funded by the US government on Ukrainian soil.

As per the details made available by the US government, the US Department of Defense’s Biological Threat Reduction Program has been working with partner countries to “to counter the threat of outbreaks (deliberate, accidental, or natural) of the world’s most dangerous infectious diseases.”

In Ukraine, the program’s aim is to consolidate and secure pathogens and toxins of security concerns and provide support to the nation in detecting and reporting outbreaks caused by dangerous pathogens before they “pose any stability or security risks.” 

In 2019, BTRP established two laboratories for the Consumer Protection Service of Ukraine with Biosafety Level 2 in Kyiv and Odesa. Both regions are under Russia’s attack. The US not only provides support for laboratory establishment but has also been funding research projects in Ukraine where the Ukrainian and American scientists work together.

Russia has accused the US of developing bio-weapons at its borders, at Ukraine and Georgia

On several occasions, Russia has accused the US and Ukraine of developing bio-weapons close to its borders. In 2021, while talking about the inability of the World Health Organisation to establish the origin of the Covid-19 virus, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev told Kommersant reporter that Russia believed the US was developing bio-weapons near its borders.

He said, “you pay attention to the fact that in the world, more and more new biological laboratories under the control of the United States are growing by leaps and bounds. Moreover, by a strange coincidence – mainly at the Russian and Chinese borders.” He added that the US claims they work with local scientists to develop ways to fight dangerous pathogens but what happens inside those walls was unknown.

He added, “We are told that peaceful sanitation stations operate near our borders, but for some reason, they are more reminiscent of Fort Detrick in Maryland, where Americans have been working in the field of military biology for decades. By the way, we should pay attention to the fact that outbreaks of diseases that are not typical for these regions are recorded in the surrounding areas.”

When asked if he meant Americans were developing biological weapons at those Biolabs, he said, “We have good reason to believe that this is the case.” He further said, “Not a day goes by at the headquarters of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague that the Americans and their allies do not come forward with another chapter of the anti-Russian chemical dossier.”

Speaking about the allegations against Russia over the development of chemical weapons, he said there were no evidence and only conjectures. The Russian government has made similar allegations multiple times. 

US-funded gain of function research to ‘enhance’ viruses at Wuhan laboratory in China 

It has been now been established by now that scientists from the USA, with NIH funding, had been running gain of function research into a number of SARS-like viruses in the Wuhan laboratory in China, which is widely believed to be the origin of Covid-19 infection. In September 2021, it was revealed in a book that the US had funded research on deadly viruses in Wuhan under the supervision of Anthony Fauci.

US scientist Peter Daszak, who had received an NIH grant, through his organisation EcoHealth Alliance had been engaged in ‘gain of function’ research for years in the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China. Daszak has himself admitted on numerous occasions that they are running breakthrough research into coronaviruses.

Earlier this year, an investigation by Project Veritas had revealed that coronavirus research deemed ‘too dangerous’ by DARPA, was approved by Anthony Fauci’s NIAID and was conducted by Daszak’s EcoHealth Alliance at Wuhan.

In October 2021, it was revealed via leaked emails that Anthony Fauci’s NIAID funded institute trained researchers at Wuhan lab housed fatal aerosol-borne viruses.

Russia invades Ukraine

On 24 February, after weeks of speculations, Russia finally invaded Ukraine, triggering a massive outrage all over the world. It is notable here that NATO, USA and Russia have been at loggerheads for years over NATO’s alleged plans to expand eastward, threatening Russia’s security. As Russian troops gathered on Ukraine’s borders over the last few weeks, NATO and USA have dropped billions of dollars worth of weapons in Ukraine, proclaiming support for Ukraine’s sovereignty.

Addressing the people, Putin had announced that it is launching a military operation directed towards the ‘demilitarization’ and ‘denazification’ of Ukraine. The alleged biological weapons program is one of the many concerns Russia had raised regarding Ukraine.

NATO countries including the USA have promised to impose severe sanctions on Russia as a retaliatory measure against the invasion.

Source; OpIndia.com