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Russian Defense Ministry in 2023 identified over 50 participants in US biolabs in Ukraine

In addition, Igor Kirillov revealed that, in August 2023, a training session was held in Lvov with the aim of accusing Russia of using biological weapons

MOSCOW, January 15. /TASS/. The Russian Defense Ministry has established the identities of more than 50 people involved in US military-biological activities in Ukraine in 2023, a senior Russian military official said.

"Separately, I would like to note the work carried out in 2023 to identify the organizers and participants of military-biological activities on the territory of Ukraine. As a result of the analysis of the documentation obtained, more than 50 people were identified, including officials of US and Ukrainian government agencies, and employees of intermediary organizations and private companies," Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, head of the Russian Armed Forces’ Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) Protection Troops, said at a briefing on US military-biological activities.

According to the senior military official, among the identified participants in the activities of US biolabs in Ukraine are Kenneth Myers, Robert Pope and Joanna Wintrol, employees of the US Defense Department's Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, as well as representatives of the companies Battelle and EcoHealth Alliance, Kevin Olival, Karen Saylors and Lewis von Thaer.

In addition, the senior defense official revealed that, in August 2023, a training session was held in Lvov with the aim of accusing Russia of using biological weapons. "The event was attended by Filippa Lentzos; Gemma Bowsher; and Irina Demchyshyna, head of the Reference Laboratories of the Public Health Center of the Ukrainian Health Ministry; as well as Darya Ponomarenko, head of the Department of Biological Safety and Biological Protection of the Public Health Center of the Ukrainian Health Ministry," he said.

Kirillov added that research on the study of pathogens of economically significant infections and mechanisms of their spread was conducted under the leadership of Denis Muziyka; as well, Viktor Gavrilenko and Alexander Mezinov were involved in the collection and shipment of materials.

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