The US ambassador to the United Nations firmly rejected Russia’s allegations. Linda Thomas-Greenfield argued that Russia convened the Security Council only to spread propaganda and disinformation. “Ukraine does not have a biological weapons program. There are no Ukrainian biological weapons labs funded by America.”
Thomas-Greenfield was also critical of China, which is helping “the spread of disinformation with their support for Russia’s outrageous claims.” Chinese media frequently echoed the Russian allegations this week.
Denial
The top UN official for disarmament Izumi Nakamitsu stated that the UN also has no indications for these kinds of laboratories. Ukraine also denies. Ukraine does have public health labs, Thomas-Greenfield said. These laboratories are necessary for finding and researching diseases and viruses such as Covid-19, and have been co-financed with American money for years. The US is doing this “proudly and transparently,” said Thomas-Greenfield.
The Russian ambassador to the UN insisted on the allegations that Russian media have been spreading all week. Vasily Nebenzya spoke of “shocking facts”, but provided no evidence. He accused America of funding and directing a network of biological weapons research programs. That would happen in thirty different laboratories in Ukraine.
Nebenzya states that Ukraine wanted to transfer anthrax, cholera and the plague to Russia via birds and bats. Ukraine is also said to have used its own population to test those biological weapons. “Ukraine has allowed their land to be turned into a biological laboratory, and its inhabitants guinea pigs.”
‘false flag’
The White House warned this week that Russia itself could be planning a chemical or biological attack in Ukraine. That would be part of a ‘false flag’ operation, in which the Russians themselves carry out an attack and then blame Ukraine or America. Ukraine’s President Zelensky also warned about this. “If you want to know what Russia’s plans are, you have to look at what they accuse others of.”
This was the eighth emergency meeting of the Security Council since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It was the first to be applied for by Russia.