Russia claims U.S. funds disease research in Ukrainian bio‑labs

Russian officials accused the United States of operating and financing more than 130 overseas biological laboratories, with over 40 located in Ukraine, and of studying pathogens that have never been recorded in the region. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told a press conference that the labs were “funded by the U.S. armed forces” and warned of a “devastating” response if any NATO country attacked Russian territory. In a separate statement, Alexei Lezhnev, commander of Russia’s radiation, chemical and biological protection troops, said the U.S. had financed research on a “nasal disease pathogen” in a Ukrainian institute, despite no domestic cases of the disease. The accusations echo earlier U.S. intelligence disclosures about a review of more than 120 overseas labs, including dozens in Ukraine, that were established with U.S. assistance after the Soviet era. Russia’s statements linked the alleged laboratory work to broader claims of Western aggression and promised “decisive and destructive” retaliation.