Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released a trove of declassified records detailing U.S. funding of more than 120 biological laboratories across more than 30 countries, arguing the documents validate concerns that were previously dismissed as misinformation.
The release comes years after Gabbard drew criticism for raising concerns about U.S.-funded biolabs in Ukraine following Russia’s 2022 invasion. Critics accused her of echoing Russian narratives, while supporters argued legitimate questions about the labs’ activities and oversight were being unfairly dismissed.
The newly released records include ODNI briefing slides detailing the scope of U.S. involvement in Ukraine’s laboratory network.
DNI TULSI GABBARD PROBES U.S. FUNDING TO MORE THAN 120 BIOLABS AROUND THE WORLD
One document states that more than 40 laboratories in Ukraine received U.S. funding and housed collections of dangerous bacteria and viruses, some dating back to the Soviet era. The records also show Ukrainian scientists received U.S.-funded training to work with hazardous pathogens and participated in a program focused on handling especially dangerous diseases.
The documents list pathogens studied or stored within the laboratory network, including anthrax, tuberculosis, plague, Ebola virus, Marburg virus, MERS and SARS.
Additional records detail U.S.-funded construction and upgrades at laboratories across Ukraine, including facilities in Kherson, Odesa and western Ukraine. The documents identify engineering firm Black & Veatch as a major contractor and show U.S. taxpayers spent between roughly $1.7 million and $3.5 million on individual laboratory projects.
LAWMAKERS DEMAND ANSWERS AFTER SUSPECTED BIOLAB DISCOVERED IN CHINESE NATIONAL’S LAS VEGAS HOME
One declassified assessment focuses on a veterinary research laboratory in Kharkiv that received Pentagon funding through the Defense Department’s Biological Threat Reduction Program.
According to the assessment, the facility housed hundreds of samples of dangerous pathogens, including Brucella bacteria, which can cause a disease known as brucellosis. The document warned the lab could become a target of Russian propaganda efforts or be damaged, captured or otherwise compromised during the war.
Another ODNI slide outlines what it describes as a “web of connections” linking Ukrainian laboratories with U.S. government agencies, universities, research organizations and private contractors. The document says U.S. funding supported research on bird flu and other highly infectious viruses in high-security laboratories.
Gabbard said the documents demonstrate that the public was not given a full picture of U.S.-backed biological research programs overseas. Critics, however, maintain the facilities were part of long-running public health and threat-reduction efforts designed to secure dangerous pathogens and prevent biological proliferation rather than operate as biological weapons programs.
The declassification is likely to reignite debate over government transparency, gain-of-function research and the scope of U.S.-funded biological research overseas.
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