MoH Comment on Another Round of Manipulations Concerning Biological Laboratories in Ukraine

In the context of yet another discussion regarding cooperation in the field of biosafety and public health in Ukraine, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine emphasizes that Ukraine consistently complies with its international obligations under the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) and has never engaged in activities related to the development, production, or stockpiling of biological weapons.

For many years, cooperation between Ukraine and the United States in the field of biosafety has been aimed exclusively at strengthening public health capacities, epidemiological surveillance, laboratory diagnostics, biosafety, and biosecurity. These activities are fully consistent with international public health standards and practices and are exclusively civilian.

Laboratory institutions participating in relevant international technical assistance programs are diagnostic, scientific, or reference laboratories within the public health system, veterinary medicine sector, or other research institutions. By their very nature, they are neither designed nor capable of being used for the development of biological weapons or for conducting research aimed at creating pathogens with enhanced dangerous properties.

Questions regarding the nature of Ukrainian-American cooperation in the biological sphere were already subject to international review in 2022. At the request of the Russian Federation and pursuant to Article V of the BTWC, an official consultative process involving States Parties to the Convention was conducted. During these consultations, Ukraine and the United States provided detailed information on the relevant cooperation programs, their objectives, and implementation mechanisms.

As a result of these consultations, allegations concerning the alleged development of biological weapons or the operation of military biological programs in Ukraine were not substantiated. These issues were also discussed within the framework of the United Nations Security Council, where no evidence was presented to support the claims made by the Russian Federation.

In December 2023, Ukraine officially reaffirmed its position at the Meeting of States Parties to the BTWC, emphasizing that the 2022 consultative process had comprehensively addressed these allegations and that Ukraine’s cooperation with international partners in the field of public health is fully consistent with the provisions of the Convention.

The Ministry of Health of Ukraine stresses that the presence of pathogen samples in laboratories is neither exceptional nor unusual. Such samples are used worldwide for diagnostics, epidemiological surveillance, scientific research, and response to outbreaks of infectious diseases. This is precisely why one of the priorities of international cooperation has been to strengthen laboratory biosafety and physical security measures.

Ukraine remains committed to the principles of transparency, international cooperation, and strengthening the global biosafety framework. We believe it is important to rely on the results of international consultations that have already taken place and on verified facts, rather than on assumptions or interpretations of certain aspects of international technical assistance programs.