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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration publicly warned Wednesday that Russia may search to make use of chemical or organic weapons in Ukraine because the White Home rejected Russian claims of unlawful chemical weapons growth within the nation it has invaded.
This week, Russian International Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova — with out proof — accused Ukraine of operating chemical and organic weapons labs with US help.
White Home press secretary Jen Psaki referred to as Russia’s declare “preposterous” and stated it might be a part of an try by Russia to put the groundwork for its personal use of such weapons of mass destruction in opposition to Ukraine.
“That is all an apparent ploy by Russia to attempt to justify its additional premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified assault on Ukraine,” Psaki tweeted Wednesday.
“Now that Russia has made these false claims, and China has seemingly endorsed this propaganda, we must always all be looking out for Russia to probably use chemical or organic weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation utilizing them,” she stated.
The US for months has warned about Russian “false flag” operations to create a pretext for the invasion. Wednesday’s warning instructed Russia may search to create a pretense for additional escalating the two-week outdated battle that has seen the Russian offensive slowed by stronger-than-expected Ukrainian defenders, however not stopped.
Dmitry Chumakov, a Russian deputy UN ambassador, repeated the accusation Wednesday, urging Western media to cowl “the information about secret organic laboratories in Ukraine.”
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby on Wednesday referred to as the Russian declare “a bunch of malarkey.”
The worldwide group for years has assessed that Russia has used chemical weapons earlier than in finishing up assassination makes an attempt in opposition to Putin enemies like Alexey Navalny and former spy Sergei Skripal. Russia additionally helps the Assad authorities in Syria, which has used chemical weapons in opposition to its folks in a decade-long civil battle.
Requested by a Russian journalist in regards to the claims, United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric stated. “At this level haven’t any data to substantiate these studies or these allegations about these sorts of labs.”
“Our colleagues on the World Well being Group, who’ve been working with the Ukrainian Governments, stated they’re unaware of any exercise on the a part of the Ukrainian Authorities which is inconsistent with its worldwide treaty obligations, together with on chemical weapons or organic weapons,” Dujarric stated.
Russia has an extended historical past of spreading disinformation about US organic weapons analysis. Within the Nineteen Eighties, Russian intelligence unfold the conspiracy concept that the US created HIV in a lab.
Extra not too long ago, Russian state media have unfold theories about harmful analysis at labs in Ukraine and Georgia.
The conspiracy concept about US-run labs in Ukraine has been picked up by Chinese language state-controlled media and is now circulating in on-line message boards fashionable with COVID-19 conspiracy theorists and far-right teams within the US.
Filippa Lentzos, a senior lecturer in science and worldwide safety at King’s Faculty London, stated there aren’t any “US labs” in Ukraine. As a substitute, she stated in an electronic mail, there are labs within the nation which have acquired cash by a US Protection Division menace discount program.
“These are public and animal well being amenities which are owned and operated by Ukraine,” she stated.
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