China News Service, March 31. According to RIA Novosti, on the 31st local time, the first meeting of the Russian parliamentary committee investigating the establishment of a biological laboratory by the United States in Ukraine was held in the Russian State Duma (lower house).

Kosachev, co-chair of the investigative committee, said the findings of the U.S. biolab activities in Ukraine are critical to Russia's security and global security interests.

At present, the Russian side has set up four working groups to carefully study and evaluate the documents obtained by the Russian Ministry of Defense and obtained from the personnel of the Ukrainian biological laboratory.

Image source: Screenshot of RIA Novosti report.

Investigating U.S. biolab in Ukraine is a matter of global security

  At the meeting that day, Konstantin Kosachev, co-chair of the investigative committee and deputy chairman of the Russian Federation Council, said that the findings of the U.S. biological laboratory activities in Ukraine are crucial to Russia's security and global security interests.

  Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense has disclosed that the United States spent more than 200 million US dollars to open more than 30 biological laboratories in Ukraine, some of which are engaged in "research and development of biological weapons components".

The data released by the US itself also shows that the US has 26 biological laboratories in Ukraine, and the US Department of Defense has "absolute control".

  Another co-chair of the investigation committee, Irina Yarovaya, also said that the research carried out by Ukraine is a threat to Russia, Ukraine itself and the international community.

Proposals to promote the implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention

  Kosachev said lawmakers would prepare a package of proposals to ensure the implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention.

He said that at present, chemical weapons have been completely banned, but only the 1972 Framework Convention deals with biological weapons, which does not contain a monitoring mechanism.

As a result, lawmakers "will present a package of proposals related to improving the conventions and their enforcement mechanisms to prevent the United States from circumventing and violating these conventions and creating new global threats."

  Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zakharova previously stated that in response to the facts of the US military and biological activities in Ukraine, Russia does not rule out launching a consultation mechanism within the framework of the Biological Weapons Convention.

Data map: Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zakharova.

  As the cornerstone of international biological arms control, the Biological Weapons Convention was opened for signature in 1972 and has been in force since 1975. It has more than 180 states parties. However, this convention lacks monitoring, verification and punishment measures for the compliance of states parties. The United States has always opposed the establishment of a multilateral verification mechanism for the Biological Weapons Convention.

Four working groups established to evaluate laboratory documents

  After the meeting, Yarovaya said that four working groups have been established to carefully study and evaluate the documents provided by the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Specific work includes:

  Conduct biomedical analysis and evaluation of Ukrainian biological laboratory activities;

  International law assessment of the activities of Ukrainian biolaboratories;

  Analyzing and forecasting military and terrorist risks and threats to the organization of biological laboratory activities;

  Science and information analysis.

On March 11, local time, the United Nations Security Council held a meeting at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to consider the issue of biosecurity in Ukraine.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Liao Pan

  Since the beginning of March 2022, the Russian Ministry of Defense has successively released documents obtained from Ukrainian biological laboratory personnel.

The documents are wide-ranging, including Ukrainian biolab staff's February 24 emergency destruction of particularly dangerous disease pathogens such as plague, anthrax, tularemia, cholera and other deadly diseases; confirmation that the "UP-2" project is the Pentagon Approved; the U.S. conducts military biological projects in Ukraine, conducting experiments on samples of coronavirus, cholera, African swine fever and other deadly diseases, etc.

  The next meeting of the investigative committee will be held on April 4, when it will discuss the possibility of the work of the biological laboratory causing an epidemic in the Russian Federation.