Question Period Note: Biolabs in Ukraine

Russia has alleged that the U.S. is operating biological labs in Ukraine.

• This allegation is patently false and is blatant disinformation that distorts facts. It is aimed at discrediting both Ukraine and the United States.
• Putin has long employed disinformation at home and abroad to achieve national and geopolitical objectives.
• Putin has used disinformation to create a pretext for the illegal invasion of Ukraine, and we now see how the continued use of disinformation to try to conceal and blur facts on the ground to support military operations, and garner support for their illegal invasion.
• This is not the first effort we've seen by Russia to promote manipulative narratives about biological weapons and alleged 'secret labs', which Russia claims violate the terms of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC).

• This disinformation campaign draws attention away from serious ongoing concerns about Russia's own BTWC compliance.

No background material was provided.

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