Russia and China are doubling down on claims that the United States is conducting biological weapons research in “biolabs” across war-torn Ukraine – assertions that leaders in Washington and Kyiv have called absurd.
Russian diplomat Dmitry Polyanski has requested the United Nations Security Council discuss the alleged research at a meeting Friday, the Kremlin-aligned media outlet RIA Novosti reported earlier.
The report also highlighted allegations from Russia’s Defense Ministry that claim the U.S. spent $200 million on Ukrainian labs for a purported “bioweapons program.” Russia claims its troops uncovered evidence during Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, which he calls a “special military operation.”
“This is exactly the kind of false flag effort we have warned Russia might initiate to justify a biological or chemical weapons attack,” Olivia Dalton, a spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, told Fox News Digital Thursday. “Russia has a well-documented history of using chemical weapons and has long maintained a biological weapons program in violation of international law.”
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Russian forces devastate hospitals and clinics in Ukraine
WARNING: Graphic footage— The Russians are getting ‘more and more brutal’ with their attacks, Oleksandr Danylyuk, former minister of finance, tells ‘Fox News Live.’
VP Harris heads to Romania as Ukraine refugee crisis grows
Vice President Kamala Harris and Romania’s president will meet Friday to discuss growing concerns about the influx of displaced people fleeing Ukraine for Romania and elsewhere in Eastern Europe due to Russia’s invasion.
It’s a problem that Biden administration officials and European leaders warn will likely get more complicated in the days and weeks ahead.
Harris’ talks in Bucharest with President Klaus Iohannis come after she spent Thursday in Poland, which has already welcomed some 1.5 million Ukrainians since the invasion began.
She met in Warsaw with Polish President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Ukrainian refugees, and others in hopes of getting a fuller picture of the unfolding humanitarian crisis.
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WHO says it advised Ukraine to safely destroy dangerous pathogens in research labs
The World Health Organization told Ukraine to safely destroy any potentially dangerous pathogens held in research laboratories before and during Russia’s invasion to prevent possible “spills” and the spread of a disease, according to a report.
The “WHO has strongly recommended to the Ministry of Health in Ukraine and other responsible bodies to destroy high-threat pathogens to prevent any potential spills,” the agency told Reuters this week.
The WHO didn’t say if Ukraine actually destroyed the pathogens or if the recommendation was made in relation to the war.
The agency said it has advised Ukraine on pathogen safety for years and it encourages “the safe and secure disposal of any pathogens” for every country.
The report comes as Russia has made meritless claims that the U.S. is conducting biological weapons research in “biolabs” in Ukraine. Both the U.S. and Ukraine deny the claims, calling them “gaslighting.”
Chicago mom flies to help Ukrainians at Polish border: ‘I could not stay at home’
A Chicago woman who spent more than a week helping displaced Ukrainians in Poland — and who will be returning there again soon — revealed to Fox News Digital what it was like assisting refugees who fled Ukraine as Russian
troops attacked and ignited the Russia-Ukraine war.
Yulia Skuibida, 39, was born and raised in Kyiv; she’s lived in Chicago for the past 17 years. When she heard that Russia had invaded Ukraine, she felt she had to take immediate action. The very next day, she boarded a flight to Poland.
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Russian troops strike cities far to the West of current offensive
Russian troops have struck the Western Ukrainian
cities of Ivano-Frankiivsk and Lutsk, away from where they have been attacking and could indicate a new strategy, according to local authorities.
The attacks were near airports.
No casualties have been reported.
40-mile Russian convoy Northwest of Kyiv has reportedly dispersed
Bret Baier discusses the dispersed Russian convoy and where Ukrainian forces are pushing back on ‘Fox News @ Night.’
Ukrainian journalist group works to inform world media, get military equipment to resist Russians
Ukrainians are so ready to fight back against the invading Russian army, some of them are being turned away because there aren’t enough weapons for all of them.
But that doesn’t mean they can’t help in other ways in the fight for their nation.
One of them is Mark Savchuk, Kyiv-based coordinator of the Ukraine Volunteer Journalists Initiative, which was created by public relations and media experts as a way to better communicate with Western journalists and give a sense of what’s happening on the ground.
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UN to hold meeting on Russia’s baseless claim of US ‘biolabs in Ukraine, that US calls ‘gaslighting’
The United Nations Security Council on Friday will hold a meeting on Moscow’s baseless claims that United States is conducting biological weapons research in “biolabs” across war-torn Ukraine.
The U.S. and Ukraine strongly deny the claims and warn they could be a “false flag.”
“This is exactly the kind of false flag effort we have warned Russia might initiate to justify a biological or chemical weapons attack,” Olivia Dalton, spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, said late Thursday. “We’re not going to let Russia gaslight the world or use the U.N. Security Council as a venue for promoting their disinformation.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his Thursday night address said the claims worry him because “we have often been convinced that if you want to know Russia’s plans, they are what Russia accuses others of.”
Russia has been accused of using chemical weapons in the past such as the attempted poisoning of Putin critic Alexei Navalny and of suporting Syria, which has used chemical weapons on its own people.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
‘Highly unlikely’ Russia has pre-invasion objectives: UK Defense Ministry
U.K’s Ministry of Defense said in a Friday morning update it’s “highly unlikely that Russia has successfully achieved the objectives outlined in its pre-invasion plan.”
The update added that Russian troops are making “limited progress.”
“Logistical issues that have hampered the Russian advance persist, as does strong Ukrainian resistance,” the ministry said. Russia is likely seeking to reset and re-posture its forces for renewed offensive activity in the coming days. This will probably include operations against the capital Kyiv.”
Putin’s threat to companies ditching Russia may cause ‘even more economic pain,’ Psaki warns
After Russian President Vladimir Putin floated the idea of nationalizing companies that refuse to do business in Russia over the Ukraine invasion, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki suggested Thursday that such a move would further damage Russia economically.
“The rights of those investors and colleagues who are staying in Russia and are working in Russia, must be fully protected,” Putin said Thursday, according to a report in RIA Novosti.
“I am asking the government to keep this in mind. Those who are planning to close business – we must act decisively… As the head of the government proposed, we must introduce external control and to transfer these business to those who want to work.”
“We have seen reports that Russia may be considering seizing the assets of U.S. and international companies that have announced plans to suspend operations in Russia or to withdraw from the Russian market,” Psaki noted in a string of tweets Thursday.
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Blinken says US-Colombia relationship is ‘strong’ on Ukraine war, other issues
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he joined President Biden and Colombian President Ivan Duque at the White House Thursday.
“From countering Russian aggression in Ukraine, to our partnership to address irregular migration and climate change, the U.S.-Colombia relationship is strong and effective,” Blinken tweeted of the meeting.
Blinken just got back from a week-long trip to Europe where he met with NATO allies.
Biden said Thursday he planned to designate Colombia as a major non-NATO ally.
Thursday’s Fox News Live Updates Page
Click here to read Fox News’ live coverage from Thursday.