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Watchdog troubled by foreign-run biological labs near Russia’s borders

Biological facilities working with pathogens in Ukraine and Georgia funded by the US pose a threat to the countries’ sovereignty, Russia's official said

Head of the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing Anna Popova Alexandr Astafyev/POOL/TASS

Head of the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing Anna Popova

© Alexandr Astafyev/POOL/TASS

VLADIVOSTOK, September 4. /TASS/. Head of the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing Anna Popova has described the situation with foreign-controlled biological laboratories located close to Russia’s borders as tense.

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"The situation with foreign laboratories [located] near Russia’s borders is undoubtedly tense. So far, nothing has changed for the better. We are creating a level of preparedness that would empower us to negate the risks, if any suddenly emerge. We really do not want this to happen, so today we are trying to conduct intense negotiations, and the Foreign Ministry is doing a lot in this regard," she said.

Popova earlier said that Russia had to take additional protective measures against potential threats that could emerge due to the work of biological labs in some countries neighboring Russia, most of which are funded by the US Department of Defense. In her view, the creation of biological facilities working with pathogens in Ukraine and Georgia funded by the US poses a threat to these countries’ sovereignty.

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