Are these new allegations? [added 22 March]
Only part of the allegations is new. There have been a number of earlier allegations made in meetings held within the Biological Weapons Convention in recent years. For example, at the BWC Meeting of Experts in 2015, Russia responded to a claim by Ukraine that Ukraine's disease monitoring capabilities had been hindered by the loss of access by the central government to a laboratory located in Crimea, the territory of which had been occupied by Russia the year before. Exercising its right of reply, Russia stated: "According to our assessment, the system of internal bio-security in the territory which is still left under control of groups that came to the power after the coup d'état in Kiev is catastrophic. The prophylactic-epidemiological service built in the Soviet Union which had a unique methodological base and practical experience now is almost destroyed. A number of laboratories whish [sic] used to run routine but rather important monitoring of circulation of microorganisms among people and in the environment is practically disbanded. Instead of that some laboratories for work with dangerous pathogens were built by US DOD with the function of concentration of collections under US administration that obviously causes great concerns among the neighboring countries." [Russian Federation, "Russian Delegation’s talking points in exercising the right of reply to suggestions made by Ukrainian delegation with regard to the epidemic situation in the Russian Federal region of Crimea and in the territory in the South-East of Ukraine which is not under Kiev's control", 12 August 2015, 3 pp.] Russia made no mention of US-funded laboratories in its opening statement to that meeting.
Similar allegations were made by Russia in a number of subsequent BWC meetings, but these allegations did not gain much traction in these meetings of specialists in biological issues.
In 2021, China joined with Russia to make a joint statement to the 2020 Meeting of States Parties of the Biological Weapons Convention (held in 2021 owing to the pandemic). This statement suggested that "over 200 US biological laboratories are deployed outside its national territory, which function in opaque and non-transparent manner" and that these "cause serious concerns and questions among the international community over its compliance with the BWC". The USA provided a working paper to the same meeting entitled "Article X Cooperation and Laboratory Support: The Example of the Biological Threat Reduction Program" which outlined the purposes of the programme and listed the number of facilities supported in each of the 30 partner countries.
Does Russia fund any biological laboratories outside of its territory? [added 22 March]
Yes. Russia informed the 2020 Meeting of States Parties of the Biological Weapons Convention (held in 2021 owing to the pandemic): "The Russian Federation has established reference laboratories for foot-and-mouth disease, avian influenza and Newcastle disease, collaborating centres for diagnosis and control of animal diseases as well as on food safety for Eastern Europe, Transcaucasia, and Central Asia. They serve as Reference Centres of the World Organization for Animal Health and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations." [Russian Federation, "Report on Implementation of Article X of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction", BWC/MSP/2020/WP.9, 22 November 2021, 3 pp.]
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