Russian legislators to open probe into operations of Pentagon-run Ukrainian biolabs

MOSCOW, March 22. (ST)- Lawmakers from the Russian Parliament’s lower house, the State Duma, voted on Tuesday to approve a document initiating a parliamentary probe into the work of biological laboratories on the territory of Ukraine.

 

The document stipulates the formation of a special commission on this issue jointly with the Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian Parliament.

 

“To grant support to an initiative proposed by State Duma lawmakers to launch a parliamentary investigation into all details regarding the formation of biological laboratories on the territory of Ukraine with the help of American experts,” the document reads.

 

According to the document, a commission to focus on the matter will be comprised of 14 people. State Duma lawmaker Oleg Morozov said that the Commission’s structure was approved without any objections on behalf of other political factions and Irina Yarovaya, vice-speaker of the State Duma, was appointed as a co-chairman of the new commission.

 

Less than two weeks ago, US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland announced that Ukraine had facilities where biological research was being conducted and Washington was working to not let them fall into the hands of Russian forces.

 

Igor Kirillov, who heads the Russian army’s radiation, chemical and biological protection force, reported earlier in the month that a network of over 30 biological labs was formed on Ukrainian soil under the direction of the Pentagon’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). According to him, on February 24, they were all instructed by the Ukrainian Health Ministry to completely destroy biological agents located in the laboratories.

 

On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees at a ceremony in the Kremlin recognizing the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR). Putin met with DPR leader Denis Pushilin and LPR leader Leonid Pasechnik, and signed treaties with them on friendship, cooperation and mutual aid between Russia and both republics.

 

President Putin said in a televised address on February 24 that in response to a request from the heads of the Donbass republics, he had decided to carry out a special military operation in order to protect people “who have been suffering from the Kiev regime’s abuse and genocide for eight years.” The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans to occupy Ukrainian territory.

 

The Russian Defense Ministry had reassured earlier that Russian troops are not targeting Ukrainian cities, and were limited to conducting surgical strikes and incapacitating Ukrainian military infrastructure, insisting that there is no threat whatsoever to the civilian population.

 

Soirce: TASS