The U.S. will inspect biological laboratories abroad: the list includes facilities in Ukraine
13 May 07:56
U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has ordered an audit of more than 120 biological laboratories in over 30 countries that have received U.S. funding. Ukraine is among the countries where such facilities are located. The New York Post reported this, citing representatives of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, according to "Komersant Ukrainian"
According to the publication, the review concerns foreign biological laboratories funded by U.S. taxpayers, particularly within the framework of biological security and threat reduction programs.
According to U.S. media reports, the review aims to determine the exact locations of the laboratories, the pathogens stored there, and the research being conducted.
What Tulsi Gabbard said
According to media reports, Tulsi Gabbard’s team is set to inspect over 120 laboratories in more than 30 countries. The goal is to determine what specific research is being conducted there, whether there are risks associated with dangerous experiments involving pathogens, and how U.S. funding for such programs is being monitored.
Gabbard linked the investigation to the U.S. administration’s broader policy of restricting dangerous research that could increase viruses’ ability to spread or pose a threat to humans.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the catastrophic global impact that research on dangerous pathogens in biolaboratories can have,” the intelligence chief said.
In the U.S., such research is often described by the term “gain-of-function” —that is, experiments that can alter the properties of pathogens.
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Does this apply to Ukraine?
Ukraine is mentioned among the countries where laboratories that may be subject to inspection are located. According to the New York Post, there may be more than 40 such facilities in Ukraine.
The review will focus on laboratories that received U.S. support under biological safety programs.
Cooperation between Ukraine and the U.S. in the field of biosecurity has been ongoing since 2005 under the Biological Threat Reduction Program, implemented by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Threat Reduction Agency. Its goal is to help Ukraine strengthen its capabilities for detecting dangerous diseases, diagnostics, epidemiological surveillance, and the safe storage of pathogens.
In 2022, the U.S. Department of Defense reported that since 2005, approximately $200 million had been invested under this program to support 46 Ukrainian laboratories, healthcare facilities, and diagnostic centers.
Why the topic of “biolabs” is sensitive
After the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia actively spread claims about alleged “secret U.S. biolabs” in Ukraine. These claims have repeatedly been called disinformation in the U.S., Ukraine, and among international experts.
The Biden administration denied the existence of “chemical or biological laboratories in Ukraine” owned or operated by the U.S., dismissing these claims as Chinese and Russian propaganda in a statement on March 9, 2022, one month after the invasion by Kremlin forces.
The U.S. Department of Defense previously explained that the biosecurity program in Ukraine is aimed at peaceful goals: detecting dangerous diseases, preventing outbreaks, and safely handling pathogens.
The Council on Strategic Risks also noted that U.S. cooperation with laboratories and medical centers in more than 30 countries is part of a program to reduce biological threats, not evidence of the development of biological weapons.
What exactly does the U.S. want to verify?
According to US media reports, the inspection is intended to answer several questions:
- where the laboratories that received U.S. funding are located;
- what pathogens are stored or studied there;
- what types of research are being conducted;
- Are there risks associated with dangerous experiments?
- how transparently were grants and contractors monitored;
- whether any research was conducted that could pose a threat to biosecurity.
Separately, the reports mention concerns regarding laboratories in countries where wars are ongoing or where there are high risks to facility security. It is in this context that Ukraine is mentioned, as it remains under constant threat of Russian attacks.
Does this confirm Russian claims?
The report on the audit of U.S. funding for laboratories does not confirm Russian claims regarding the development of biological weapons in Ukraine.
It concerns an audit and oversight of programs funded by the U.S. abroad. Such reviews may pertain to funding transparency, facility security, types of research, and risks associated with pathogens.
The Department of Defense’s oversight body had previously been unable to determine how many potentially enhanced pandemic pathogens were being studied in China or other countries, despite the fact that over $1.4 billion was spent on such experiments outside the U.S. between 2014 and 2023 .
Between 2014 and 2021, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) also acknowledged that U.S.-funded experiments on bat coronaviruses at the now-infamous Wuhan Institute of Virology violated grant conditions by making the viruses 10,000 times more contagious, although officials deny that the research caused the COVID-19 pandemic.
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