Is it true that by order of the United States in Ukraine they worked on a virus transferred by mosquitoes?

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation revealed the details of the American project R-268, in which Ukraine allegedly was developing a virus transmitted through a mosquito bite. According to the media, the goal of developing was the spread of viruses like the Zik, Denge and Virus of Yellow fever. We checked whether these statements are true.

June 16, 2022 of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (MO) made another report On the military-biological activity of the United States in Ukraine, especially dwelling at the PI-268 project (R-268). The purpose of the project was supposedly creating a virus capable of infecting mosquitoes of the type of Aedes. The choice of mosquitoes of the type of Aedes, according to the MO, was “non -proper”, since this species is able to carry yellow fever, the fever of Zika and Denge. MO also spoke about other cases in history when the United States infected individual groups of the population with mosquitoes. According to the report, Kyiv National University. Taras Shevchenko (KNU) has already completed the development of a viral drug, which was delivered to the United States "for conducting field aerobiological research." Dozens of large Russian publications And TV channels on the same day Reported With reference to the Moscow Region, that “the United States planned to spread the virus through mosquitoes-kusak”, thus turning them into bio-weapons.

In support of their statements Published Three documents:
1) letter for 2006 from the executive director of the Ukrainian Scientific and Technology Center (UNTC) to the Board of Directors of the Center with a request to approve a joint project with the University of Colorado;
2) plan Project R-268;
3) design offer.

Mo Also Translated Documents in Russian and identified especially interesting places with a yellow marker:

• More than 30% of participants are former scientists with experience in developing weapons of mass destruction;
• The main purpose of the study is to use the mosquito virus in strategies for control and counteracting diseases originating from blood -sucking insects, for example, Denge;
• Project participants - researchers from the Kyiv National University - will produce from the larvae of the yellow -ore mosquito AEDES AEGYPTY The drug "Viroden";
• The developed drug "Viroden" (1 kg) will be delivered to the University of Colorado as part of Grant 316 from the US National Institutes of the United States (NIH Foundation);
• “Viroden” is a drug based on the Densonucleotide virus of the yellow -ilchoracic mosquito (AEDNV). Buccetsky developed this product for control over blood -sucking insects. AEDNV is extremely angry among mosquitoes.

MO does not specify where they got these materials from. We could not find them in the public domain. Nevertheless, in the UNC report for 2006 And 2007 Years really have a mention of the P-268 project with a budget of $ 20,000 and the name “Viroden’s Production” for a subpurs on grant 316 allocated to the NIH Foundation University of Colorado ”. There is also a mention on the NIH website Grant 2006 to the Colorado University for the project "Interference in the replication of the Denge virus near Komars." So it can be assumed that documents published by MO-not a fake and the P-268 project really existed.

But what did the project actually have to? We turned to the same documents published by the Moscow Region. In the document "Project Plan" Written: “The main purpose of the study is to use the virus of mosquito densonucleosis and the transduction method in strategies for monitoring and counteracting diseases such as a densed by mosquitoes. In the ideal perspective, Densovirus will spread to the entire population of mosquitoes and will affect their life expectancy in such a way that infected female individuals will die before they can endure the virus with Denge. ” That is, the aim of the project was to make the drug “Viroden”, capable of infecting mosquitoes and impede the spread of diseases such as Denge, yellow fever and ZIK's fever.

IN document The “design proposal” The drug is described in more detail: “Viroden is a drug based on the Densonucleosis virus of the yellow -gorary mosquito (AEDNV). Professor Buccetsky developed this product to control mosquitoes. AEDNV is extremely contagious among mosquitoes, while it does not infect people, vertebrates and invertebrates. ” The expected results of the project - “1 kg of Viroden will be delivered to Dr. Karlson from the University of Colorado to study the effectiveness of AEDNV to reduce the efficiency of the Dengu virus by mosquitoes AEDES AEGYPTI". 

Thus, no developments of new viruses in Ukraine were supposed. Back in 1972, the drug "Viroden" was Created Kyiv scientists. Subsequently, Professor KNU Leonid Buccatsky wrote several articles About this drug. Many foreign scientists recognize The effectiveness of Viroden in the control of mosquitoes, but note a lack of field tests in different climatic zones. Apparently, this gap was decided to close at the University of Colorado during research 2006 "Intervention in the replication of the Denge virus in mosquitoes." To do this, the university ordered KNU production of the required amount of the drug (1 kg), which was then delivered to the United States to conduct further efficiency studies.

But why, then, the project proposal clarifies that “more than 30% of participants are former scientists with experience in developing weapons of mass destruction”? The fact is that MO neglected another detail. A joint project of the University of Colorado and KNU was carried out under the auspices UNTC. The UNTC is an international organization created after the end of the Cold War in 1993, in order to prevent the spread of knowledge associated with weapons of mass destruction (OU). To achieve this goal, the TCC attracts to cooperation of former scientists in the field of OU in Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Uzbekistan, employees of closed scientific centers and laboratories of the former USSR. UNC projects make it possible to create jobs for former "gunsmiths" and direct their activities in a peaceful direction. Therefore, each design proposal of the UNTC clarifies how many former specialists in the field of OU will be involved in the project.

Moreover, in 1992, a similar organization was established in Moscow for the same purpose-the International Scientific and Technical Center (MNTC) with headquarters in Moscow. Donors of the MNTC - Canada, USA, 27 EU countries, Japan, Norway and South Korea. Recipients - Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Republic of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. In total, over the years of his activities, the MNTC Highlighted More than $ 1 billion, and about 70% of these funds were invested in Russia. About 60,000 Russian scientists related to the production of OMU took part in the projects of the MNTC. The most significant Projects MNTC in Russia - assistance to Russian enterprises in creating the dash base, training and advanced training of Russian experts, financial support of the Vector Institute, which is engaged in research on particularly dangerous infections, establishing relations of Russian scientific organizations with the European organization for nuclear research (CERN). Russia I went out From the organization in 2015.

Summing up, we can say that the P-268 project did not involve the development of a virus that could be transmitted through mosquito bites. On the contrary, its goal was to prevent the spread of these diseases. The cause of erroneous conclusions was the incorrect interpretation of the facts set forth in the design documentation.

Not true

What do our verdicts mean?

Image on the cover: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

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