Russia: US president's son Hunter Biden involved in Ukraine biolabs

The Rosemont Seneca investment fund, led by Hunter Biden, son of US President Joe Biden, is involved in financing biological laboratories in Ukraine, Chief of the Russian Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Forces Igor Kirillov has said.

Kirillov presented documents at a news conference in Moscow on Thursday, allegedly of Ukrainian and US origin and seized in battles in Ukraine, that he said proved the Rosemont Seneca Partners investment fund, chaired by Hunter Biden, sponsored a military biological programme in Ukraine.

"The incoming materials make it possible to trace the interaction pattern between US government agencies and Ukrainian biological objects. It's remarkable that structures close to the current US leadership, in particular the investment fund Rosemont Seneca, headed by Hunter Biden, are involved in the financing of these activities," Kirillov said.

From the information presented in the documents, Rosemont Seneca is closely affiliated with Metabiota and Black and Veach companies, known as official contractors for the delivery of equipment for the Pentagon's biolabs all over the world, according to Kirillov.

"The scale of the programme is impressive. In addition to the (US) Department of Defense, the US Agency for International Development, the George Soros Foundation, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention are directly involved in the programme's implementation in Ukraine," he said.

The White House warned this week that the Kremlin's latest "conspiracy theory" could be a prelude to a chemical or biological attack that Russia would blame on the US or Ukraine.

READ MORE: Is Ukraine exposed to the threat of biological warfare?

Manhattan Project

Research in Ukrainian laboratories was led by the Los Alamos National Lab, which is developing nuclear weapons in the framework of the Manhattan Project, he added. The Manhattan Project was a research and development project that created the world's first nuclear weapon.

"All these activities are carried out under the full control of the Pentagon," said Kirillov.

According to a document called "a registration card," 30 bio-laboratories in 14 Ukraine's settlements were engaged in the development of biological weapons.

Russia said in areas it now controls there are no labs but it is unclear if labs exist in other parts of Ukraine.

The card mentions the contractor –– the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

Apart from experiments with viruses, the biolabs studied pathogens and information that can be used to develop biological weapons, said the document.

'16,000 biological tests in Ukraine'

In the framework of a project called UP-8 conducted in Lviv, Kharkiv, Odessa and Kiev, 4,000 servicemen were tested for hantaviruses antibodies and 400 others for the presence of antibodies for the Congo-Crimean fever virus, the Russian official said.

In total, more than 16,000 biological tests taken in Ukraine were transferred abroad, the official added.

"Such a large-scale screening of the natural immunity of the population was probably carried out in order to select the biological agents most dangerous for the population of a certain region.

"Analysis of the documentation shows that not only tissue samples and human blood serum were exported abroad, but also dangerous pathogens, as well as their carriers. More than 10,000 samples were sent to the Lugar Center in Georgia, reference laboratories in the UK and the Leffler Institute in Germany," said Kirillov.

He warned that the transfer of sensitive genetic information creates risks not only for Ukraine but for regions where the tests were transported.

Ukrainian servicemen were also used to test the unlicensed drug, Deep Drug, although such activities are prohibited in the US.

Documents from a UP-2 project show that its priority was the study of the causative agent of anthrax, which is characterised by a high damaging ability and resistance to the environment.

Biolabs' employees were searching for burial sites for animals killed by anthrax and then samples of infected soil were taken. Another team was researching insect carriers in the places of animal burial grounds.

"Given that the epidemic situation with anthrax in Ukraine remains safe, the question arises about the need for research conducted by the Pentagon and their true goals," said Kirillov.

READ MORE: Live blog: US tried to spread deadly viruses via Ukraine biolabs – Russia

Russia wants clarifications from US

He added that the US is leading the world in the number of biological laboratories. According to China's data, at least 336 US biolabs work in 30 countries.

"We believe that in the context of the incoming information, it is necessary to seek clarification from Washington regarding the true goals of the activities of American biological laboratories in the framework of an international investigation," he said.

US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland confirmed there are US-led biological research facilities in Ukraine during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on March 8 regarding Russia's assault on Ukraine.

Kiev and Washington are now working to prevent the materials accumulated there from falling into the hands of Russian forces, she said.

US denies Russian accusations that Washington was operating biowarfare labs in Ukraine, calling the claims "laughable" and suggesting Moscow may be laying the groundwork to use a chemical or biological weapon.

Ukraine maintains a network of biological labs dedicated to research into pathogens, and those labs have received funding and research support from the US. But the labs are owned and operated by Ukraine, and the work is no secret.

It's part of an initiative called the Biological Threat Reduction Program that aims to reduce the likelihood of deadly outbreaks, whether natural or manmade.

The US efforts date back to work in the 1990s to dismantle the former Soviet Union's programme for weapons of mass destruction.

READ MORE: China seeks details of 'US-run biolabs' in Ukraine