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Spectre of clandestine biolabs in Ukraine and role of US
April 13, 2022
By MAYANK KUMAR
The Daily Guardian, India
File photo of a researcher working in a medical lab.
OPINION
As the Russia-Ukraine war drags on beyond everybody’s expectations, the intriguing consolidation of the Western nations against Russia has led to deep speculation and enquiry for other underlying causes. The hasty imposition of a slew of sanctions on Russia by Western nations, comprising political, economic, cultural, and even sports embargos makes it an all-encompassing offensive minus hard military action. In a veiled retaliation, the cornered Russians have brought to the limelight the existence of around 28 secret bio-labs in Ukraine.
Ukraine is just a developing country with a lower-middle-income economy, ranking 74th in the Human Development Index. Ukraine is among the poorest countries in Europe. As of 2020, it suffers from low life expectancy and widespread corruption. In such a country, the existence of clandestine ‘Bio-labs’ has jolted the whole world. China has gone public with the startling disclosure that the US is clandestinely operating 336 biolabs in 30 countries across the world, including 26 in Ukraine.
Biolabs across the world are engaged in biological-military experimentation of extremely dangerous proportions. Basically, they are all into fabricating bioweapons, which can wipe out large swathes of population, using hitherto unknown viruses. Most of these labs maintain a database of lethal viruses. Currently, the world is experiencing the Covid-19 pandemic, suspected to have been created in the Wuhan Institute of Virology. There is a surfeit of reports in the public domain hinting at the possibility of the leakage of the deadly virus from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV). Whether the leakage was accidental or deliberate remains a mystery, and is likely to remain so. Many reports have also emerged that testify China’s nefarious plans to weaponize the SARS Coronavirus against the world.
All biolabs are predominantly engaged in continuous research on new and deadly viruses with pandemic potential, for use in future wars, in order to completely wipe out enemy population, in a short span of time. There would be no kind of medical defence against these strange and deadly viruses. Nobody would know what virus has afflicted them, let alone the cure for it.
A book titled ‘What Really Happened in Wuhan: The Cover-Ups, the Conspiracies and the Classified Research’ authored by award-winning Australian journalist Sharri Markson, and published by Harper Collins, reveals the ‘secretive project’ that the US had funded at the Wuhan laboratory in China. It also reveals that WIV is one of the few laboratories in the world that can undertake ‘gain-of-function’ research i.e., make viruses deadlier and more infectious. The reason touted for such research work is its utility for predicting pandemics, providing opportunities for researchers to work pre-emptively on medicines and vaccines, but the underlying reason is to stockpile a collection of super dangerous viruses to wipe out populations of inimical countries, occupy their lands and seize all their assets, with almost zero damage.
The Biological Threat Reduction Program (BTRP) is part of the U.S. Department of Defense’s Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Program, under which many biolabs across the world are funded by the US government. Since 2005, the BTRP has partnered with the government of Ukraine, and the United States has invested millions of dollars in Ukraine, funding an estimated 26 to 46 laboratories engaged in biological warfare research. According to publicly available data, 336 laboratories in about 30 countries receive funding from the BTRP.
The research work conducted by these US defense ministry-funded biolabs is highly classified, but it is an open secret that all sorts of diabolical experiments and research is happening and that these biolabs store dangerous pathogens and toxins. All such activities are in brazen violation of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC).
Activities and projects conducted in biological laboratories are categorized by biosafety level. The four biosafety levels are BSL-1, BSL-2, BSL-3, and BSL-4, with BSL-4 being the highest (maximum) level of containment. There are additional specific rules and designations for animal research (ABSL), agricultural research (BSL-Ag), and other types of research.
There are two types of BSL-4 laboratories:
• Cabinet laboratory – all work with infectious agents or toxins is done in a Class III Biosafety Cabinet, having top security safeguards.
• Suit laboratory – Laboratory personnel are required to wear full-body, air-supplied suits, which are the most sophisticated type of personal protective equipment. All personnel shower before exiting the laboratory and go through a series of procedures designed to fully decontaminate them before leaving.
The engineering controls required are different for BSL-4 cabinet and suit laboratories. For either type, they are extensive and supplemented by carefully designed procedures and practices.
If Ukraine is maintaining 26 to 46 Biolabs, it is a national industry for them, and it is happening in Russia’s neighbourhood. Any country would be apprehensive about these foreign-funded, secretive biolabs in their immediate vicinity. The consequences can be disastrous not only for Russia but for the entire humanity. The Covid 19 virus carnage is only a preview of what can happen in the event of a full-fledged bio-warfare engulfing the planet. None can dictate to the virus where and when to attack, whom to attack, and when to stop.
Ultimately, it's murderous madness to even research bioweapons. Russia may be called evil for invading Ukraine, but what do you call a country that researches methods of mass destruction?
The Covid 19 pandemic has also highlighted the utter ineffectiveness of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), as also the hypocrisy of nations who are signatories to this. Formally known as “The Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction”, the Convention was negotiated by the Conference of the Committee on Disarmament in Geneva, Switzerland. It opened for signature on 10 April 1972 and entered into force on 26 March 1975. The BWC supplements the 1925 Geneva Protocol, which had prohibited only the use of biological weapons. Countries that are signatories to the Biological Weapons Convention undertook “never in any circumstances to develop, produce, stockpile or otherwise acquire or retain:
1. Microbial or other biological agents, or toxins whatever their origin or method of production, of types and in quantities that have no justification for prophylactic, protective or other peaceful purposes;
2. Weapons, equipment or means of delivery designed to use such agents or toxins for hostile purposes or in armed conflict.”
Spread over 23 countries, the largest concentration of BSL4 labs is in Europe, with 25 labs. North America and Asia have roughly equal numbers, with 14 and 13 respectively. Australia has four and Africa three. Three-quarters of the world’s BSL4 labs are in urban centres. Imagine, all these biolabs are engaged in synthesising deadly viruses to decimate humanity. Who knows what Frankenstein’s are awaiting to be unleashed?
The role of the United Nations Organization does not inspire any confidence, either in its effectiveness or impartiality in functioning. It is just a tool for easy manipulation by Western nations. Nobody saw any alacrity when Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and Vietnam were bombarded, chemical weapons used and indiscriminate destruction unleashed. This is partly because the UN remains an organisation in the clutches of Western nations. About 11 UN organizations are having their headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Another 23 international organizations have their headquarters in Geneva. In addition, there are around 250 NGO’s operating from there. Not a single Asian country or African country, can boast of being headquarters for a single UN organization, why this discrimination? Both India and China boast a population of 1200 million-plus, yet not a single UN organization have their headquarters in either of these countries, why? There is an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with headquarters at Vienna, that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. Ironically, despite 336 fully functional biolabs, funded by Western nations, engaged in clandestine pursuit of biological weapons, there is not a single UN organization like IAEA, to monitor them or inspect their activities!
If Russia has acted with toughness on Ukraine for hosting 26 to 46 secret biolabs, it cannot be faulted. It appears that manufacturing strange viruses is the national industry of Ukraine.
Dr G. Shreekumar Menon, IRS (Rtd) PhD (Narcotics), is the former Director General, National Academy of Customs Indirect Taxes and Narcotics. Views expressed are the writer’s personal.
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