China accused the U.S. military of operating "dangerous" biolabs in Ukraine, echoing a Russian conspiracy theory that Western officials warned could be part of an effort to retroactively justify President Vladimir Putin's invasion.
"U.S. biolabs in Ukraine have indeed attracted much attention recently," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, adding that "all dangerous pathogens in Ukraine must be stored in these labs and all research activities are led by the U.S. side." Zhao also made reference to Fort Detrick, a U.S. military facility in Maryland that the Soviet Union falsely claimed in the 1980s was the source of the virus causing Aids.
Britain's Defense Ministry said in a tweet that it had noticed an up-tick in allegations by Russia that Ukraine is working on biological or nuclear weapons.
