White House Denies Russian And Chinese Claims That The U.S. Funded Biolabs In Ukraine

 

Business Insider: White House says Russia's baseless claim of US having chemical weapons in Ukraine suggests Putin's forces may 'possibly use' them 

* Russian officials have baselessly accused the US of running a bio weapons program in Ukraine. 

* The White House described the claim as "preposterous" and Russian "disinformation." 

* WH press secretary Jen Psaki said Russia may be setting itself up to use chemical weapons in Ukraine. 

Russia's baseless accusation that the US has chemical weapons in Ukraine could mean the Kremlin is planning to use them, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Wednesday. 

"We took note of Russia's false claims about alleged US biological weapons labs and chemical weapons development in Ukraine. We've also seen Chinese officials echo these conspiracy theories," Psaki said in a Twitter thread. "This is preposterous." 

She said the claim was "the kind of disinformation operation we've seen repeatedly from the Russians over the years" and "an example of the types of false pretexts we have been warning the Russians would invent."  

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: Tucker Carlson in his broadcast yesterday details from the US Department of Defense's own website the Pentagon's involvment in Ukrainian biolabs (see video below). Glenn Greenwald adds more to the discussion .... Victoria Nuland: Ukraine Has "Biological Research Facilities," Worried Russia May Seize Them (Glenn Greenwald). 

Bottom line. 

Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland made it very clear in sworn testimony this week that she was worried that the Russian military may get their hands on the research that was conducted at these labs. She obviously is privy to a lot of information, and I think we all deserve to know what was being done at these labs, and why have these materials not been removed since the start of the invasion. 

 

Update: Here is Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland remarks that caught everyone's interest (see below): 

 

More White House Denials 

 US intel head rejects Russia's claims about Ukraine biolabs -- The Hill  

U.S. Spy Chiefs Reject Russia's Claims of Ukraine Bioweapons -- Bloomberg 

Russian Claims  

Ukraine war: Moscow says it has found biological weapons in Ukraine - but US dismisses claims as 'absurd propaganda' -- SKY News  

Russia Accuses U.S. of Financing Bio Weapons Research in Ukraine -- Moscow Times/AFP  

Kremlin Says World Must Know Truth About Ukraine's Alleged Bio-Warfare Programme -- Reuters 

China Wants Answers 

 U.S. storing ‘dangerous pathogens’ at biolabs in Ukraine, China says -- Bloomberg

China accuses US of ‘biological military activities’ in Ukraine -- FOX News  

Russia reveals evidence of U.S.-funded bio-program in Ukraine -- CGTN  

China demands answers from US for ‘26 biolabs in Ukraine’ -- Tribune

China And Russia Jointly Ask The UN To Check America's Biological Warfare Strength

The joint statement was read by Geng Shuang, China’s deputy permanent representative to the UN. Photo: Xinhua  

SCMP: China, Russia ask UN to check biological warfare strength of US and allies 

China and Russia have jointly called for the US to abide by a United Nations convention on biological weapons, as the powers continue to accuse each other of ramping up their military strength and threatening global safety. 

The focus on biological weapons has intensified as Beijing and Washington have traded claims that the coronavirus' origin could be linked to each other's research in that field - accusations that have been largely rejected by scientists and denied by both governments. 

The call was made on Thursday at an arms control committee discussion of the UN's Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction (BWC). 

 Read more ....  

WNU Editor: Fallout from the Covid pandemic continues.

Experts Believe Russian Scientists Are Making 'Biological Doomsday Weapons'

Experts fear Russia (President Vladimir Putin, pictured) could weaponise the deadly Ebola virus as part of a catastrophic biological weapons project 

Daily Mail: Russia 'is researching how to weaponise deadly Ebola virus as part of a catastrophic doomsday project', experts fear 

 * Unit of the FSB spy agency is believed to be researching Ebola and Marburg virus 

 * Diseases lead to organ failure and internal bleeding and have caused outbreaks 

 * Ex-intelligence insider fears Moscow could be going beyond studying diseases 

 * Could instead be examining how to weaponise them via the Toledo programme 

Experts fear Russia could weaponize the deadly Ebola virus as part of a catastrophic biological weapons project. 

Unit 68240 of Moscow's FSB spy agency - linked to the Salisbury Novichok poisonings - is thought to be behind the programme codenamed Toledo. 

It is believed the unit is researching both Ebola and the even-more deadly Marburg virus. 

Read more .... 

 More News On Reports That Experts Believe Russian Scientists Are Making 'Biological Doomsday Weapons' 

Russian scientists suspected of making 'biological doomsday weapons' involving Ebola virus -- Daily Star 

GERM WARFARE Russia ‘researching doomsday weapons such as unleashing deadly Ebola virus’, experts fear -- The SUN 

Russian scientists suspected of 'doomsday weapons' project involving deadly Ebola virus -- Mirror

China Wants Your DNA

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, centre, wearing a protective face mask, talks to a medical staff member during his visit to the Academy of Military Medical Sciences in Beijing. (AP/PTI) 

Newsweek: China Wants Your DNA—and It's up To No Good 

"We need to further harmonize policies and standards and establish 'fast tracks' to facilitate the orderly flow of personnel," said Chinese ruler Xi Jinping to the virtual G20 Leaders' Summit on November 21. "China has proposed a global mechanism on the mutual recognition of health certificates based on nucleic acid test results in the form of internationally accepted QR codes. We hope more countries will join this mechanism." 

No, this is not a benign proposal to facilitate international travel and trade. On the contrary, this is almost certainly another Chinese initiative to enlarge its collection of the DNA of the world's population. 

And why does China want such sensitive data? Beijing is determined to dominate the biotech industry. Beijing may also be developing biological weapons designed to target certain ethnic groups. 

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: Here are more details on what China wants to do .... China Wants The World To Adopt A Passenger Tracking System For Global Travel (November 23, 2020).

A Look Inside The U.S. Base Responsible For Testing Defenses Against Biological And Chemical Weapons

Photo from the Military Home Store

Daily Mail: Spectacular new pictures offer rare peek inside top secret Army base which tests defenses against biological and chemical weapons deep in the Utah desert

* Fascinating images offer a peek inside the top secret US Army Dugway Proving Ground deep in Utah desert
* The 800,000-acre base was built in 1942 and is used to create defenses against biological and chemical arms
* It is infamous for accidentally sending anthrax spores around the US and being linked to death of 6,249 sheep

These astonishing images reveal what it looks inside the US Army's Dugway Proving Ground in Utah.

Workers at the facility handle some of the deadliest and most dangerous biological and chemical agents on the planet.

The top secret 800,000-acre base - which is buried in the middle of the Utah desert - tests and develops defensive measures to counter a potential attack on the United States featuring chemical or biological weapons.

It was created in 1942 by the US Army Chemical Warfare Service as a more remote location than Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: 800,000 acres .... now that is one big base.

Are Biological Weapons The Next 'Super Weapon'?

Students wear gasmasks before entering a building where they will be exposed to tear gas as part of their chemical, biological and radiological training during a winter military boot camp at a military unit in Bucheon, west of Seoul January 20, 2011. REUTERS/Lee Jae-Won

Peter Apps, Reuters: The next super weapon could be biological

With the threat of chemical weapons in Syria and nuclear arms in North Korea, the risk of biological weapons has largely dropped off the international agenda. But evolving technologies and genetic engineering may open the door to new dangers.

Other than the “anthrax in the mail” attacks that followed 9/11, killing five people, there have been few serious attempts at biological attacks in recent years. Most global powers scaled back their biological weapons research in the 1970s, partly because of the difficulties of getting fragile bacteria and viruses to survive being dropped in bombs or missiles, or even sprayed.

Militant groups like al Qaeda and Islamic State have largely embraced the other end of the technological spectrum, turning to basic but brutal tactics such as using a car or truck to attack pedestrians in Nice, Berlin and elsewhere.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Another nightmare scenario.

Why Biological Warfare Is A Real Fear In The Mideast

Scent Of ‘Germ’ Warfare Raises Fear In he Mideast -- Washington Times

Iran, Syria and North Korea step up work on biological weapons

The sectarian war in Syria reportedly has claimed more than 60,000 lives and spawned concerns in the Middle East and the West about access to chemical weapons by non-state actors such as al Qaeda, Hezbollah and Hamas. Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles are of immediate concern to Israel, Jordan and the United States, whether in Syrian President Bashar Assad’s hands or those of terrorist organizations. Yet the locations of chemical weapons munitions and Scud missiles equipped with chemical warheads in Syria have been identified and are continually monitored. That is not the case with the arguably more dangerous biological weapons being developed by the nexus of Iran, Syria and North Korea.

Read more ....

My Comment: A part of me likes to believe that this story is just speculation and based on rumor. But I grew up in the former Soviet Union and I read the same stories about the Soviet Union's biological warfare programs .... I discounted them then but .... we now know that they were true.

I do not know if Iran and North Korea are operating a biological warfare division .... but we have to assume the worse .... and be prepared for the worse.

Three New Biodefense Centers In The U.S.

Photo: Texas A&M University moves to the forefront of the US biodefense effort (credit: Texas A&M University)

U.S. Launches Three Biodefense Centers -- Kurzweil Accelerating Intelligence

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today awarded contracts for the creation of three new centers tasked with responding to the threat of future pandemics and biological attacks, Nature News Blog reports.

Based in Maryland, North Carolina and Texas, the three “Centers for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing” are the first tangible result of a review concluded by HHS in 2010.

Read more ....

My Comment: Pandemics, biological attacks .... this has all been known for a very long time. But why the rush to build the centers now?

Every Bioterrorism Expert's Worse Nightmare: Recent Man-Made Super-Flu Could Kill Half Humanity

This transmission electron micrograph taken at a magnification of 150,000x, reveals the ultrastructural details of an avian influenza A (H5N1) virion, pictured by the United States government's Centre for Disease Control.

Armageddon Super Virus Recipe: Keep Secret Or Publish? -- Sydney Morning Herald

To publish or not to publish?

That is the question gripping scientists after virologists said they had developed a bird flu virus - with a 60 per cent human mortality rate - that could spread as easily as the common cold.

Some fear the virus, if it fell into the wrong hands, could be modified by bioterrorists into a weapon that kills billions of people.

Read more ....

More News On The H5N1

'Anthrax isn't scary at all compared to this': Man-made flu virus with potential to wipe out many millions if it ever escaped is created in research lab -- Daily Mail
Man-made super-flu could kill half humanity -- RT
Super Virus Report Might Make or Break Biosecurity -- Top News
New manmade super virus? New bird flu has 60% human lethality -- Digital Journal
Canberra Vaccine Expert Urges Censorship on Bird Flu Strain Mutant Research -- IBTimes
“Bird Flu” Virus Experiment Sparks Controversy and a Biosecurity Review -- Decoded Science
US fears Dutch research could be biological weapon -- Radio Netherlands
Deadly man-made strain of H5N1 bird flu virus raises controversy -- Digital Journal
Should a New Recipe for Engineered Bird Flu, Potent Enough to Kill Millions, Be Published? -- Popular Science
Scientists Brace for Media Storm Around Controversial Flu Studies -- Science Insider
Deadly Man-Made Flu Won’t Kill Everyone Unless It Escapes From the Lab -- Gawker

Small Pox Fears?

'Bizarre Bits' Exhibition Took a Strange Turn When Feds Arrived -- Wall Street Journal

A 135-Year-Old Piece of Skin Launches a Smallpox Scare at a Virginia Museum.

An outbreak of smallpox was the farthest thing from Paul Levengood's mind when his staff at the Virginia Historical Society put together an exhibit of "bizarre bits" in the society's collection since its founding in 1831.

There was Confederate President Jefferson Davis's cigar, confiscated by Union troops. There was a fungus carving of Robert E. Lee on his horse Traveller and a wreath made of human hair.

Then someone mentioned a letter, handwritten and dated 1876, with what appeared to be a smallpox scab pinned inside—light brown, about the size of a pencil eraser, and crumbling.

Read more ....

Update: 135-Year-Old Piece of Skin Triggers Smallpox Scare At Virginia Museum -- FOX News

My Comment: Small Pox has been one of history's worst scourges .... stories like this one should always raise our eyebrows and make us grateful that small pox epidemics are a thing of the past. As to this story .... I doubt that small pox will ever turn to plague mankind .... but it is another wake-up call on why we should always be vigilant.

How The U.S. Army Plans To Combat Biological Attacks

Replacing the Needle for Innoculations in the Field In an effort to increase its ability to respond to biological attacks in the field, the Army wants a DNA vaccination device that blasts gene-filled gas right through the skin then delivers electric shocks to coax cells into accepting it. U.S. Army

The Army's Wants a Genetic Vaccinator that Blasts Doses of DNA Right Through the Patient's Skin -- Popular Science

Biological threats -- everything from malicious biological weapons to naturally occurring pandemics -- are tricky threats to approach. Pathogens' ability to emerge rapidly and spread even faster over large populations is particularly worrisome, as our usual method of developing medicines and vaccines takes nothing if not time -- lots and lots of time. But the army is looking for a simple procedure -- a quick pffft! of air followed by a short bzzzz! of electrical pulse -- encapsulated in a single tool that can deliver a cocktail of DNA vaccines to troops or civilians quickly, efficiently, and as painlessly as possible.

Read more ....

U.S. Announces A Strategy To Counter Biological Weapons And Threats

U.S. To Unveil Biological Threat Strategy -- Washington Post

Administration affirms Bush stance against global monitoring.

The Obama administration has decided not to support a global monitoring system for biological weapons, a move that affirms an earlier determination by the Bush administration but that will disappoint some nonproliferation experts.

The decision will be reflected in the administration's new strategy for countering biological threats, which is due out Wednesday, officials said. Its release comes amid growing concern about the number of nations -- and potentially terrorists -- developing the scientific expertise to create biological weapons.

Read more ....

More News On Countering Biological Threats And U.S. Strategy

Obama Administration Takes a New Approach to Biological Weapons -- New York Times
U.S. Announces New Strategy for Biological Weapons Convention -- Global Security Newswire
U.S. rejects biological weapons checks -- Reuters
US wants tough bioweapons ban, but no verification -- AP
US still opposed to bio-weapons checks mechanism -- AFP
Preventing Biological Weapons Proliferation and Bioterrorism -- U.S. Department of State
Unbelieveable - The Ignorance -- Armchair Generalist

Anthrax Attack Aftermath: Feds To Increase Scrutiny Of Workers At Biodefense Labs

A hazardous material worker sprays his colleagues after searching for anthrax at Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC. (Photograph by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

From Popular Mechanics:

In an effort to safeguard labs working with dangerous biological materials, the U.S. government is looking at ways to ensure that the workers themselves do not pose a threat. In early April the advisory board tasked with boosting security measures will hold a meeting at a hotel near an Army base to solicit opinions from experts on the effect these steps might have on research into treating and preventing deadly infectious diseases.

The risk posed by an "inside man" with access to deadly diseases has been at the forefront of the scientific research community since the FBI traced the anthrax attacks of 2001 to Bruce Ivins, a researcher at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick in Maryland; he killed himself in 2008, before being charged.

Read more ....

My Comment: I am very skeptical that this will work. There are too many in the industry .... both in the public and private industries.