US denies Russian charge of biological, chemical weapons, amid growing concern of Russia's use of such weapons

WASHINGTON DC (Kurdistan 24) – US public affairs officials vehemently denied on Wednesday Russian charges that the US was building biological and chemical weapons laboratories in Ukraine to manufacture such agents for an attack.

Although Russia has previously made such charges from time to time, in the context of the Ukraine crisis, such charges date back to late 2021. 

Most recently, Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, the Chief Spokesman for Russia's Defense Ministry, claimed on Sunday that Russia had documents from Ukraine that revealed that the US and Ukraine were collaborating on a biological weapons program. 

On Tuesday, the Spokesperson for Russia's Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, repeated that charge, claiming documents obtained by Russian forces suggested that "components of biological weapons were being developed in Ukraine."

So seriously did the Biden administration view these charges that on Wednesday, three officials—White House Press Secretary, Jen Psaki; Pentagon Press Secretary, John Kirby; and State Department Spokesperson, Ned Price—all made the same point: the Russian charges are sheer nonsense, entirely invented.

They also added that the Russian allegations are possibly intended as a cover for what Moscow, in fact, intends to do in Ukraine. 

That concern was echoed by the British press, which reported a similar worry in London: that Russia was preparing to use chemical weapons in Ukraine, based on what it had previously done in Syria.

In 2018, the Russian media made false charges that Syrian rebels were preparing for a chemical attack. But what followed was exactly the reverse: a chemical attack by the Syrian regime that targeted the rebels.

White House Denials

The most authoritative US statement rebutting the Russian charges appeared in a series of tweets from White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.

"We took note of Russia's false claims about alleged US biological weapons labs and chemical weapons development in Ukraine," she tweeted, adding, "We've also seen Chinese officials echo these conspiracy theories."

The Times of London provided some details on the Chinese position, citing remarks made on Tuesday by Zhao Lijian, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman. 

"The US biological labs in Ukraine have raised great concerns," Lijian said. "According, to media reports, these biological labs store large quantities of dangerous pathogens. Russia, in its military operations, has discovered that the US is using these facilities to conduct biological war plans."

Already in late December, as Russia massed forces along Ukraine's border and the US warned of a Russian assault, "Russia falsely accused the US of deploying contractors with chemical weapons in Ukraine," Psaki noted.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu claimed then that US "mercenaries" were planning to launch a chemical weapons "provocation" in two cities in eastern Ukraine.

Of course, no such thing happened. Instead, two months later, Russian forces attacked Ukraine.

"We should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them," Psaki warned. 

"It's a clear pattern."

Defense Department Denial

Asked about Moscow's charges at a press briefing on Wednesday, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby denounced them, describing them as "absurd" and "laughable" and "a bunch of malarkey."

"We are not developing biological or chemical weapons inside Ukraine," Kirby affirmed. 

Kirby was then asked whether Moscow might be saying such things "because they're planning some sort of chem-biological attack." 

"One of their playbooks," Kirby replied, "is to accuse the other" of doing "what you plan to do." He added that he had no evidence to that effect, and he was "not suggesting that that's in the offing right now."

However, Kirby said, "it is a piece of the Russian playbook to blame others for what you are about to do or you are considering doing."

State Department Denial

State Department Spokesperson Ned Price issued a similar statement, rebutting the Russian charges.

"The Kremlin is intentionally spreading outright lies that the United States and Ukraine are conducting chemical and biological weapons activities in Ukraine," Price said. 

"Russia is inventing false pretexts in an attempt to justify its own horrific actions in Ukraine," he continued. The US "does not own or operate any chemical or biological laboratories in Ukraine."

Price also referred to the international agreements banning such weapons. The US "is in full compliance with its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and Biological Weapons Convention" and "does not develop or possess such weapons."

The Biological Weapons Convention, which prohibits the production and use of biological weapons, was initiated in 1972 and came into effect in 1975. That happened during the period of detente between the US and Soviet Union, initiated by President Richard Nixon and his Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. 

The Chemical Weapons Convention likewise proscribes chemical weapons and was first established in 1993 and initiated by President George H. W. Bush and his Secretary of State, James Baker, as the Soviet Union mellowed under Mikhael Gorbachev and his glasnost policy—before it collapsed entirely in 1991.

Russia is a signatory to both and, according to US officials, is also in violation of both conventions.

Indeed, Moscow has a history of using proscribed materials to carry out assassinations. 

In 2006, Russian agents murdered Alexander Litvinenko, a Russian intelligence agent, who turned against the agency and defected to Britain. Living in London, Litvinenko was poisoned by the radioactive element, Polonium-2010. 

Sergei Skripal had been a Russian military intelligence officer when he turned double-agent, working for the British. In 2004, he was discovered, arrested, and sentenced to 13 years in prison for treason.

However, in 2010, Skripal was included in a spy swap, and he settled in Britain. In 2018, Russian intelligence sought to poison him with a chemical agent known as "Novichok," a highly lethal substance absorbed through the skin. 

Two Russian foreign intelligence agents tried to kill Skripal by smearing Novichok on the doorknob to his house. He, and his daughter, who was visiting him from Moscow, both became seriously ill, but they survived.

However, a third person died. The assassins had brought the Novichok into Britain in a perfume bottle, which they then carelessly discarded. It was discovered by a local resident, who gave it to his girlfriend. Thinking it was a fancy perfume, she smeared it on her skin—and it proved fatal. 

In 2020, the Russian regime tried to use Novichok to kill the prominent opposition figure, Alexi Navalny. That assassination attempt failed as well, and he was medically evacuated to Germany, where he was successfully treated.

While still recovering in Germany, Navalny tricked a Russian intelligence agent into revealing the details of the attempt to kill him: Novichok had been smeared on a pair of his underwear.

An extraordinarily brave man, Navalny returned to Russia, where he was arrested and imprisoned. The European Parliament subsequently awarded him the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.

The British Perspective: Cover for an Attack

"We've got good reason to be concerned about possible use of non-conventional weapons" by Russia in Ukraine, the Guardian reported on Thursday, citing a briefing by "western officials."

The concern reflected "the experience of chemical weapons use during the Syrian civil war," it explained.

In early 2018, Russian media charged that Syrian rebels were planning to carry out a chemical attack. Of course, that did not happen. Instead, on April 7, the Syrian regime, backed by Russia, launched a chemical attack on the rebel-held city of Douma. The following day, the rebels surrendered the city to the Assad regime.