Ukraine Bioweapons

Did Russian President Vladimir Putin say at a "military press conference in Russia" that the U.S. was planning to launch a second pandemic "aimed at disrupting the 2024 election" domestically? No, that's not true: Neither a viral AI-generated article making the claim nor earlier pieces speculating about it offered any proof that Putin actually said that. Lead Stories searched both…

Did Russia bomb "a cloning lab" in Ukraine's Donetsk, occupied by Russia in November 2023? No, that's not true: The website that published the claim relied on a fictitious single source, and that site carries a disclaimer saying it publishes "humor, parody and satire." No credible media organization reported the purported "news." The claim originated in a article (archived here)…

Does a Stew Peters Show video prove mainstream media and the U.S. government lie about the war in Ukraine? No, that's not true: The video by the radio and TV host repeats debunked claims and misattributes information, often embracing Kremlin talking points. The claims appeared in a Facebook post on April 7, 2022, under the translated-from-Russian title "LIE Mode:" It…

Did the U.S. Department Of Defense award a contract for "COVID-19 Research" in Ukraine three months before the virus was known to exist? No, that's not true: The Department of Defense (DOD) contract that was originally awarded on November 12, 2019, was later modified on June 10, 2020, and its description changed to include "COVID 19 RESEARCH." The claim appeared…

During the Russia invasion of Ukraine, did Russia find "over 30" bioweapons labs "formed by the Pentagon"? No, that's not true: According to public records, most of these labs were already known to Russia, as they were formerly part of the USSR's "Biopreparat" developing defensive and offensive bio-measures. The United States 20 years ago funded a publicly known program to…

Did the Russian Ministry of Defense "uncover" 30 bioweapons labs during its 2022 invasion of Ukraine? No, that's not true: According to public records, most of these labs were already known to Russia, as they were formerly part of the USSR's "Biopreparat", developing defensive and offensive measures. Those labs were funded by the United States 20 years ago as part…

Is there verifiable evidence of U.S.-run bioweapons laboratories in Ukraine? No, that's not true: The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) at the U.S. Department of Defense says there are no U.S.-run bioweapons laboratories in the European nation. U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland testified on March 8, 2022, that "Ukraine has biological research facilities, which ...…

Did Russian President Vladimir Putin bomb a villa in Ukraine that U.S. President Joe Biden owned? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that this happened or that Biden owns a villa in Ukraine. When searching for credible articles about the claim that Biden owned a villa in Ukraine, and that Putin had bombed it in Russia's invasion of…

Did Russian "spetznas" liberate child trafficking victims in Ukraine and did Russian President Vladimir Putin tell former President Donald Trump about this during a recent phone call? No, that's not true: "This is fake," Trump's spokesperson told Lead Stories. The claim was in an article on a self-described satirical website whose disclaimer says it publishes articles for "entertainment purposes." The…

Did Russian President Vladimir Putin destroy U.S.-run bioweapons laboratories in Ukraine? No, that's not true: There are no U.S.-run bioweapons laboratories in Ukraine, according to the U.S. Department of Defense's (DOD) Threat Reduction Agency. An article that claimed "Western-sponsored bioweapons laboratories" exist in Ukraine was published on a self-described satirical website whose disclaimer says it publishes articles for "entertainment purposes."…