U.S. biological programs in Ukraine have drawn scrutiny from Russian officials, who allege that the Pentagon conducted experiments on military personnel and individuals with mental health challenges. This is according to Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Troops in the Russian Armed Forces. He frames the issue as part of a broader examination of what he calls American activities tied to bioweapons research and related defense programs during the conflict in Ukraine.
Kirilov asserts that evidence uncovered during Russia’s special operation in Ukraine includes data suggesting the United States Department of Defense pursued biological initiatives on Ukrainian soil. He argues that these actions breach specific provisions of the Biological Weapons Convention, particularly its prohibitions on development, production, stockpiling, and destruction of biological and toxic weapons. The lieutenant general highlights what he describes as gaps or violations in the treaty framework as the operation unfolded.
According to Kirillov, documents associated with Ukrainian biological laboratories indicate work tied to the development of biological agents near Russia’s borders. He points to employment records and registration documents tied to contractors linked to the Pentagon as indicators of ongoing activity in this domain. The claim is that these materials reveal the involvement of named entities in activities that he interprets as related to defensive research, but which he characterizes as threatening in nature due to their proximity to Russia.
Kirillov also contends that certain official pathways and internal briefings within American channels were altered or suppressed to obscure results from investigations conducted on Ukrainian territory. He suggests that the Pentagon’s Office for Threat Reduction of Weapons of Mass Destruction was involved in the management of information and that, in his view, data about findings were removed from official reports to conceal outcomes from the general public and oversight bodies. This claim is presented as part of a broader account of transparency and safety concerns associated with U.S. defense programs in the region. [Attribution: Russian Ministry of Defense]