This morning, Russia asked for an emergency UN Security Council meeting where Russia’s UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia blasted the United States for their alleged involvement in “bioweapons labs” in Ukraine.
Last week, while being questioned by Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), US Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland Russia admitted that Ukraine does have several “biological research facilities.”
BREAKING: Victoria Nuland announces US is working with Ukraine to prevent BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH FACILITIES from “falling into the hands of Russian forces!” pic.twitter.com/nlp5kTTe9V
— StandWithUSPeoplesConvoy🇺🇸 (@SassyConservat1) March 8, 2022
Following the remarks by Russia’s UN ambassador, the United States UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield blasted Russia for “lying and spreading disinformation.” She told the UN Security Council that Russia would fabricate allegations about biological weapons to justify his own brutal attacks on Ukrainian citizens. She also accused China of helping Russia to spread Putin’s lies. “I will say this once,” she said, “Ukraine does not have a biological weapons program. There are no Ukrainian biological weapons laboratories supported by the United States.” She claimed that Ukraine owns its own laboratories to detect diseases like COVID-19 and that their work only “protects the health of people.”
Watch:
UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield: "Russia asked the security council for today's meeting for the sole person of lying and spreading disinformation, and that is exactly what you have heard from the Russian PR this morning … China too has been spreading disinformation." pic.twitter.com/0DpFzaJ9IB
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 11, 2022
Curiously, only hours before the emergency UN Security Council was to meet, WHO (World Health Organization) began to urge Ukraine to destroy any highly dangerous pathogens in its laboratories “to avoid the risk of an outbreak” or accidental or deliberate release of pathogens as Russian strikes on the country continued.
The request was part of normal safety protocols, Tarik Jasarevic, a WHO spokesman in Lviv, Ukraine, told a media briefing in Geneva on Friday. In the case of a threat, “labs should dispose of pathogens safely to avoid spills,” he said.
Gulf News reports – “As part of this work, WHO has strongly recommended to the Ministry of Health in Ukraine and other responsible bodies to destroy high-threat pathogens to prevent any potential spills,” the UN health agency said.
“WHO routinely assists member states in improving their public health capacities, including by facilitating improved safety and security of laboratories holding samples of pathogens of public health concern,” the organization said.
“WHO’s country office in Ukraine has been working for several years with the Ministry of Health and other partners, including other WHO member states, to support the enhancing of biosafety and biosecurity of labs, as well as the capacity of lab personnel, in particular, to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.”