Pentagon denies Russia’s claim that the US is running a secret biological weapons lab near border of China and Georgia
The head of the Russian military’s radiation, chemical and biological protection troops said the facility was part of a network of US labs near the Russian and Chinese borders
Russia’s defence ministry said on Thursday that the US appeared to be running a clandestine biological weapons lab in the country of Georgia, allegedly flouting international conventions and posing a direct security threat to Russia – allegations the Pentagon angrily rejected.
The exceptional accusations from Moscow came the same day that US, British and Dutch officials accused Russian military intelligence of being behind multiple cyberattacks.
Major General Igor Kirillov, the head of the Russian military’s radiation, chemical and biological protection troops, alleged at a briefing that the lab in Georgia was part of a network of US labs near the borders of Russia and China.
The allegations were based largely on materials about the US-funded Richard G. Lugar Centre for Public Health Research in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Kirillov claimed the documents, released by former Georgian State Security Minister Igor Giorgadze, showed the facility was funded entirely by the US and that the Georgian ownership it has on paper was a cover.
