Russia complains to UN about US' 'military-biological activities' in Ukraine

Russia has called on the United Nations Security Council to launch a probe into the US's "military-biological activities" in Ukraine.

"The Russian Federation was left with no choice but to file a complaint with the Chairman of the UN Security Council to launch an international investigation" into "the military-biological activities of the United States in Ukraine," Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

Shortly after Russia launched a special operation in east and southern Ukraine on February 24 with the aim of liberating pro-Russia regions, Moscow accused the US of funding laboratories researching the development of biological weapons aiming to "establish a mechanism for the stealthy spread of deadly pathogens."

In its statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the Russian forces operating in Ukraine had found evidence and material pointing to the US's pursuit of military biological warfare.

"[D]uring the course of the special operation [in Ukraine] evidence and material that shed light on the true nature of the US military-biological activities on Ukrainian territory were obtained," it said.

In March, US President Joe Biden claimed the United States was not holding chemical and biological weapons in Europe.

"Simply not true. I guarantee you," Biden told a gathering of US business leaders in Washington.

Meanwhile, a UN disarmament official claimed that the United Nations was neither aware of any biological program in Ukraine, nor did the organization have any mandate or technical capacity to investigate such claims.

"We are aware that the Russian Federation has filed an official complaint... regarding allegations of biological weapons programs in Ukraine," Adedeji Ebo, the UN's Deputy High Representative for Disarmament Affairs told the Security Council.

"As high representative Izumi Nakamitsu informed the Council in March, and May of this year the United Nations is not aware of any such biological weapons programs," he said.

However, China has also voiced its concern in this regard, urging Washington to explain its bio-military activities at home and abroad.

ME