A debunked conspiracy theory about US bio-weapons laboratories in Ukraine was seized on by Russian and Chinese media outlets

[Checkerboard Strangler]

You guys know you can do better than this! Think about the opportunity that's been handed to you. With this information you can now, with great confidence, say that Trump conspired with Zenensky to create bio-weapons thus threatening Russia and starting a war. You KNOW you have it in you to do this so get moving already! The midterms are at stake and with them the very fate of humanity itself!!!!

We know how badly you'd like Putin to be President. No need to overreach.

 

[joluoto]

Sadly we don't have as much defense as we'd like because we used a phony crock like that in the runup to Iraq...the infamous "babies in incubators" story and the debunked "weapons of mass destruction" tale.
But it doesn't change the fact that Russia's story is BS.

I mean it's double bs, since it's not only the Russians, it was cooked up by Alex Jones. Though he might actually count as a biological weapon.

 

[eohrnberger]

It looks like the Russians had bio / chem weapons labs in Ukraine before their collapse.
Ukraine became it's own country. The Russian labs were still there.

• A deleted web article recovered by The National Pulse reveals that former President Barack Obama spearheaded an agreement leading to the construction of biolabs handling “especially dangerous pathogens” in Ukraine.
• The article, which also highlighted the work of former Senator Dick Lugar, was additionally included in Issue No. 818 of the United States Air Force (USAF) Counterproliferation Center’s Outreach Journal.

EXCLUSIVE: Deleted Web Pages Show Obama Led an Effort To Build a Ukraine-Based BioLab Handling 'Especially Dangerous Pathogens'.

A deleted article reveals that former President Barack Obama spearheaded an agreement that led to the construction of biolabs handling "especially dangerous pathogens" in Ukraine.

thenationalpulse.com

So the US has a policy to reduce the proliferation of such materials, and engages with Ukraine to do so. Maybe. The deleted web page casts some doubt on this theory.

It could also be that those labs were renovated and repurposed to continue to do that type of research on behalf of the US, because it legally can't be conducted here.

Also interesting that it seems to be a similar fact pattern to the partially substantiated theory that COVID escaped from a Chinese bio-weapons lab, an odd coincidence that. Far too similar for my liking, pending more facts in both cases.

The bottom line is that we don't have enough information to come to a fact based conclusion, at this point.

 

[MaryP]

Victoria Nuland: Ukraine Has "Biological Research Facilities," Worried Russia May Seize Them

I saw her testimony. All bio research labs have inherently dangerous germs therein, and what Russia might do with them is certainly a concern. It doesn't follow, though, that anyone is producing bioweapons there.

 

[Schism]

I saw her testimony. All bio research labs have inherently dangerous germs therein, and what Russia might do with them is certainly a concern. It doesn't follow, though, that anyone is producing bioweapons there.

I'm sure you're an expert with insider info.

 

[Mach]

Victoria Nuland: Ukraine Has "Biological Research Facilities," Worried Russia May Seize Them

That's biological research labs. Not biological weapons labs.
It's been debunked.

 

[Roadvirus]

It looks like the Russians had bio / chem weapons labs in Ukraine before their collapse.
Ukraine became it's own country. The Russian labs were still there.

• A deleted web article recovered by The National Pulse reveals that former President Barack Obama spearheaded an agreement leading to the construction of biolabs handling “especially dangerous pathogens” in Ukraine.
• The article, which also highlighted the work of former Senator Dick Lugar, was additionally included in Issue No. 818 of the United States Air Force (USAF) Counterproliferation Center’s Outreach Journal.

EXCLUSIVE: Deleted Web Pages Show Obama Led an Effort To Build a Ukraine-Based BioLab Handling 'Especially Dangerous Pathogens'.

A deleted article reveals that former President Barack Obama spearheaded an agreement that led to the construction of biolabs handling "especially dangerous pathogens" in Ukraine.

thenationalpulse.com

So the US has a policy to reduce the proliferation of such materials, and engages with Ukraine to do so. Maybe. The deleted web page casts some doubt on this theory.

It could also be that those labs were renovated and repurposed to continue to do that type of research on behalf of the US, because it legally can't be conducted here.

Also interesting that it seems to be a similar fact pattern to the partially substantiated theory that COVID escaped from a Chinese bio-weapons lab, an odd coincidence that. Far too similar for my liking, pending more facts in both cases.

The bottom line is that we don't have enough information to come to a fact based conclusion, at this point.

The National Pulse - Bias and Credibility

QUESTIONABLE SOURCE A questionable source exhibits one or more of the following: extreme bias, consistent promotion of propaganda/conspiracies, poor or no

mediabiasfactcheck.com

 

[MaryP]

I'm sure you're an expert with insider info.

No more than you. But you are the one taking the giant leap from biolab to bioweapons lab. Why?

 

[beefheart]

A debunked conspiracy theory about US bio-weapons laboratories in Ukraine was seized on by Russian and Chinese media outlets

So, it works like this. Some individual on Twitter says that the US has bio-weapon labs in Ukraine. Offers not a scintilla of evidence. This is then picked up by Infowars which has a larger audience. The Russian and Chinese intelligence services are monitoring the internet and come across the Infowars disinformation. Naturally, RT, Sputnik, and Weibo grab it and push this disinformation globally to offer a propaganda rationale on why Russia invaded Ukraine. (The Nazi rationale is not getting any traction globally)

And it is still being passed here by the Putin humpers...

 

[MaryP]

And it is still being passed here by the Putin humpers...

It seems the idea that a bio lab anywhere is probably creating bioweapons to destroy us all is just too good a CT to resist. It's stupid, but we'll no doubt keep hearing about it forever.

 

[trouble13]

A debunked conspiracy theory about US bio-weapons laboratories in Ukraine was seized on by Russian and Chinese media outlets

So, it works like this. Some individual on Twitter says that the US has bio-weapon labs in Ukraine. Offers not a scintilla of evidence. This is then picked up by Infowars which has a larger audience. The Russian and Chinese intelligence services are monitoring the internet and come across the Infowars disinformation. Naturally, RT, Sputnik, and Weibo grab it and push this disinformation globally to offer a propaganda rationale on why Russia invaded Ukraine. (The Nazi rationale is not getting any traction globally)

By the same token what evidence has either politifact or fact-check offered to debunk the claim?

They acknowledge that the bio-research labs exist. How do they know what is or isn't being developed within those labs?

 

[Mach]

Oh I get it, FOX news is pushing the Russian/Putin propaganda so the faithful are getting all riled up with this nonsense. You guys do realize he's trying to use this as yet another in a long line of nonsense-excuses for his invasion of Ukraine right?

There appears to be little difference between a free but corrupted press, and a state-run media outlet.

 

[eohrnberger]

The National Pulse - Bias and Credibility

QUESTIONABLE SOURCE A questionable source exhibits one or more of the following: extreme bias, consistent promotion of propaganda/conspiracies, poor or no

mediabiasfactcheck.com

Hence my coaching my position as carefully as I did. That was purposeful.

But again, MBFC is hardly anything more than 'amateurish', as has been posted a number of times.

 

[eohrnberger]

By the same token what evidence has either politifact or fact-check offered to debunk the claim?

Politifact really isn't. Has been found to be biased as well.

They acknowledge that the bio-research labs exist. How do they know what is or isn't being developed within those labs?

 

[MaryP]

How do they know what is or isn't being developed within those labs?

Exactly. They don't know. They are making unfounded accusations and you are saying 'prove they're wrong.' That's not how it works.

 

[Mach]

Politifact really isn't. Has been found to be biased as well.

It's true that facts have a liberal bias.

 

[eohrnberger]

It's true that facts have a liberal bias.

That's ideological bullshit push narrative, as I've called out before.
Facts are facts, all on their own and politically neutral.

You are conflating facts with the interpretation of those facts through your left leaning lens of confirmation bias.
Everyone has a lens through which they view the world. It's part of being human.

 

[What if...?]

It doesn't help that one of Biden's pukes tells Congress that there are, in fact, biological research facilities in Ukraine.

The world is chock full of “biological laboratories”. Every single lab that tests A1C or other blood tests is a ****ing “biological laboratory”.

Propaganda is gonna kill our species.

 

[BlueTex]

Good lord...

At the end of February, Robert Pope, the director of the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, said his program had lost contact with the Ukrainian labs. In an update on Friday, he said that officials had communicated with authorities responsible for facilities run by the Ukrainian Ministry of Health but not with those overseeing the veterinary health institutions the US government also partners with in the country.

Several of those labs are in cities being attacked now, Pope said. “Should Russian forces occupy a city with one of these facilities, we are concerned that Russia will fabricate ‘evidence’ of nefarious activity in an attempt to lend credibility to their ongoing disinformation about these facilities.”

On the veterinary health side, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency supports 14 facilities and diagnostic laboratories, Pope said. “Most of these facilities are regional diagnostic veterinary laboratories that provide Ukraine with animal sample collection ability and basic laboratory capabilities for initial diagnostics of potential diseases in Ukraine’s animal population. They are part of the network of labs that help Ukraine prevent, detect, and respond to animal diseases like African swine fever,” he said.

Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland echoed Pope’s concerns about the security of the US-linked labs at a Senate hearing Tuesday. “Ukraine has biological research facilities, which, in fact, we are now quite concerned Russian troops, Russian forces may be seeking to gain control of, so we are working with the Ukrainians on how they can prevent any of those research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces should they approach,” she said.

Pope’s fears that the invasion will expose the labs to new disinformation narratives does not appear far-fetched. Already at least one figure with links to the Russian disinformation ecosystem is broadcasting plans to bring journalists into war-torn Ukraine to tour US-affiliated labs there.

In Ukraine, US-military-linked labs could provide fodder for Russian disinformation - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Robert Pope, director of the US Cooperative Threat Reduction Program is worried that US-linked labs in Ukraine, if they are in cities overrun by Russian forces, may serve as fodder for disinformation efforts about US activities. Meanwhile, a YouTuber with ties to the Russian disinformation...

thebulletin.org

 

[What if...?]

Just because Tucker says it's so doesn't make it so.

It does to them.

They think they’re the ones on the side of freedom but don’t have an original thought in their heads. Trapped in cage of lies their egos won’t let them see.

And don’t want out. Happy in their mental captivity.

 

[Excon]

HAW HAW HAW

Foolish laughter. Hilarious.

 

[Excon]

So, it works like this. Some individual on Twitter says that the US has bio-weapon labs in Ukraine. Offers not a scintilla of evidence. This is then picked up by Infowars which has a larger audience. The Russian and Chinese intelligence services are monitoring the internet and come across the Infowars disinformation. Naturally, RT, Sputnik, and Weibo grab it and push this disinformation globally to offer a propaganda rationale on why Russia invaded Ukraine. (The Nazi rationale is not getting any traction globally)

Is that how you think things work?
iLOL

Try again.

They'll be Russian documents or forgeries.

We did this game before with MH17.

That is not something you can "prove".
And given that the US lied about the lab funding claim ...

 

[Excon]

Even originality eludes you.

Apparently it is you who it alludes.

The bottom line is that we don't have enough information to come to a fact based conclusion, at this point.

Another issue here ...

The op's report is obfuscation from what originally occurred.


The original claim is that they were bio labs, not weapons labs.
USA Today went to the bat for the US and claimed that was part of a Russian disinformation campaign.

Then in questioning Sen. Rubio asked about "weapons", instead bio research facilities were confirmed which had been previously denied.

Tucker walks it through.

 

[trouble13]

Exactly. They don't know. They are making unfounded accusations and you are saying 'prove they're wrong.' That's not how it works.

I'm not saying that. They are claiming to of debunked an accusation but are failing to provide how they debunked it. They are drawing a conclusion and declaring we all accept their conclusion as fact. That isn't how it works either.

All we actually know is that there are these research labs working with biological materials. One side claims they are working on ways to weaponized viruses and the other side is saying they are only looking at ways to defend people from viruses.

Thanks to the Wuan lab and exposed documents we know that gov community is not above lying to the people.

So I am asking how was the claim debunked? Why should we believe they are not doing the type of research they are being accused of?

 

[MaryP]

I'm not saying that. They are claiming to of debunked an accusation but are failing to provide how they debunked it. They are drawing a conclusion and declaring we all accept their conclusion as fact. That isn't how it works either.

All we actually know is that there are these research labs working with biological materials. One side claims they are working on ways to weaponized viruses and the other side is saying they are only looking at ways to defend people from viruses.

Thanks to the Wuan lab and exposed documents we know that gov community is not above lying to the people.

So I am asking how was the claim debunked? Why should we believe they are not doing the type of research they are being accused of?

You are using the same argument the election fraud folks are using--prove it didn't happen.

You can't prove a negative, because the skeptical will always say it's a lie.