The UN said that the organization was not aware that Ukraine was allegedly implementing any biological weapons development program in response to accusations by the Russian Federation. The UN disarmament commissioner Izumi Nakomitsu said this at an extraordinary meeting convened at the initiative of Moscow.
Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya said Russia allegedly has new evidence that the United States and Ukraine have had an agreement to develop a biological weapons program in Ukraine since 2005, and showed a document allegedly confirming $32 million in direct funding. The Russian representative said that research was allegedly conducted on hemorrhagic fever, leptospirosis, and other dangerous pathogens and allegedly investigated the transmission of diseases from bats to humans to conceal the use of weapons as a naturally occurring outbreak.
U.S. Ambassador Linda-Thomas Greenfield noted that before the international community last week there had already been a "tirade with bizarre conspiracy theories" about biological weapons.
"There are no such laboratories - not near the border with Russia or anywhere else," she stressed.
The ambassador also expressed fear that the meeting convened by Russia could be part of an "operation under a foreign flag" and indicate Russia's own intentions to use chemical or biological weapons against Ukrainians.
Izumi Nakomi Nakomitsu said the UN is unaware of Ukraine's development of biological weapons, and largely repeated her response at a similar March 11 meeting, noting that the UN does not have the mandate or capacity to investigate such allegations.
"The UN Office for Disarmament is ready to support any procedures under the Biological Weapons Convention that the states parties may engage," she said.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko welcomed the UN response to Russia's accusations against Ukraine.
"The UN has refuted Russian fakes about 'biological weapons laboratories' in Ukraine. All attempts by the Russian Federation to create false pretexts for a barbaric war in Ukraine fail. Everything possible will be done to bring Russia and its leadership to justice for crimes against Ukraine," Oleg Nikolenko said.
.@UN has refuted Russian fake news about bioweapon labs in Ukraine. All Russia’s attempts to create false pretexts for its barbaric war on Ukraine are doomed to failure. No stone will be left unturned holding Russia and its officials to account for its crimes against Ukraine.
— Oleg Nikolenko (@OlegNikolenko_) March 19, 2022
