White House officials have dismissed Russian allegations — recently leveled again by a top Kremlin general — that the U.S. developed biological weapons in Ukraine, including the coronavirus, which has killed nearly 7 million people around the world.
His claims were disseminated by far-right U.S. news sites like Gateway Pundit, and by prominent conspiracy theorists on Twitter, who also inserted some of their favorite villains — the troubled presidential son Hunter Biden, the liberal Jewish philanthropist George Soros — into the febrile Kremlin narrative.
Western experts in biological and chemical weapons saw the outlandish accusations as a sign of desperation. “Russia is desperately trying to play a ‘whataboutism’ game to justify their actions in Ukraine,” Daryl G. Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, told Yahoo News in an email.
False though they may be, such insinuations by Kirillov and other Kremlin figures could dangerously undermine international arms control agreements, according to Rand’s Parachini. “Russian officials find these fabrications handy at home as well,” he has written. “They use them to justify their military operations and bolster domestic support for the war, despite the increasing losses of the Russian military.
In a new twist on that allegation, Kirillov’s accusations referenced EcoHealth Alliance. The New York-based not-for-profit organization wasfor its management of a series of subgrants to China's Wuhan Institute of Virology, which may have used the funds to conduct risky gain-of-function research.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
House ignores White House objections, votes to end COVID health emergencySome Democrats voted with Republicans to end the vaccination requirement for federal health workers, and the House also voted to end the public health emergency related to COVID.
Read more »
Kremlin welcomes bounty offer for destroying Western tanks in UkraineThe Kremlin on Wednesday welcomed a Russian company's offer of 'bounty payments' for soldiers who destroy Western-made tanks on the battlefield in Ukraine, saying it would spur Russian forces to victory. The Russian company Fores this week offered 5 million roubles ($72,000) in cash to the first soldiers who destroy or capture U.S.-made Abrams or German Leopard 2 tanks in Ukraine. On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian troops would 'burn' any Western tanks that were delivered to Ukraine, adding the bounties were extra encouragement for Russian soldiers.
Read more »
Former Russian commander pours cold water on Kremlin's threatsIgor Girkin has been highly critical of Russia's approach to the war.
Read more »
The White Stripes: Jack White Comes CleanThe White Stripes have been nominated for RockHall2023. In our 2005 cover story, we tried to solve the mystery of the White Stripes — and learned what 'Seven Nation Army' is really about.
Read more »
White House's Second Crypto Paper Sees Crypto As Threat | CoinMarketCapIf you want to see what difference a year has made in the Biden administration's perspective on a regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies, you don't need to look much beyond the titles of its two major statements on the topic. 🫵
Read more »