US studied atypical diseases in Ukraine biolabs, Russia claims

MOSCOW, June 18. /TASS/. The United States studied the diseases that are not typical of the region in its biolabs in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a news briefing.

She also warned of a devastating response if any of the NATO countries attack any Russian region.

TASS has compiled the key statements by the official Foreign Ministry representative.

On US Biolabs in Ukraine

The United States tried in every possible way to avoid discussing the topic of the biolabs located abroad "in the hope of hiding from the public and silencing evidence" of the existence and financing by the US government, mainly the military, of "over 130 biolabs in other countries, including more than 40 in Ukraine."

More than a third of all US foreign laboratories are located in Ukraine bordering Russia, "where an unconstitutional coup was carried out in 2014 with the support of Washington and Western capitals."

The United States studied the diseases in its biolabs in Ukraine that are not typical of the region: "For unknown reasons, but in fact very understandable ones, they studied something that had no direct relation to Ukraine and this region, to our region."

On the desecration of the Soviet memorial in Gyumri

Moscow has sent a protest note to Yerevan in connection with the desecration of the memorial to the Heroes of the Great Patriotic War in Gyumri: "This blasphemous action is not just hooliganism, but a targeted attack on the historical memory common to our countries and an attempt to desecrate the great victory. Of course, we have sent a protest note to the Armenian side."

Armenian information resources "linked to the authorities" are trying to shift responsibility for the desecration to Russia: "There is no need to invent anything that we could have allegedly provoked or done. No, that's not true. It's a lie, vile and obviously made up on the fly. It's all beyond common sense, not to mention decency."

On Kiev's lies about the situation around the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra

The Kiev regime's attempt to shift responsibility to Russia again, this time for the damaged building of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, "turned out to be unconvincing."

Speaking against the backdrop of the lavra of Vladimir Zelensky, who came there "not for repentance, but for PR," raises the question of whether what happened is "an attempt by the Bandera members holed up in the monastery to hide the traces of their crimes."

Zelensky's regime attempted to "fabricate another fake production to convince its curators of the need to increase military and financial support for Kiev."

On Kallas’ statements

Moscow considers the statements by head of the European Diplomacy Kaja Kallas about China's alleged training of Russian troops to participate in the Ukrainian conflict solely as "absurd and false."

Moscow condemns such attempts to hurt Russian-Chinese relations: "We condemn such attempts to drive a wedge into the friendship between our peoples through the aforementioned information provocations."

On a response to the unfriendly policy of the West

The introduction of a notification procedure for entry to Russia for EU diplomats is a response to the actions of Brussels: "The notification procedure we have introduced is purely in response. The Russian side firmly adheres to the importance of maintaining diplomatic channels of communication, including with the countries that pursue unfriendly or even openly hostile policies towards our country, towards Russia."

The notification procedure for entry to Russia for EU diplomats may be revised if Brussels stops discriminating against the employees of Russian diplomatic missions and consular institutions: "If the European Union member states and the states of the Schengen area refuse to take discriminatory measures against the employees of diplomatic missions and consular institutions of our country, we will be ready to reconsider the application of the notification procedure."

If any of the NATO countries attack Russian regions, Moscow will give a "devastating" response: "Once again, I want to emphasize that in the event of aggression by any NATO state against any Russian region, no one should have any doubt that our response to the initiators of this insane adventure will be decisive and destructive for them."

On sanctions against Russia

Moscow will "respond effectively and harshly" to the illegal anti-Russian sanctions adopted by the European Union on June 15.

The EU countries already "do not know what to come up with", initiating a ban on entry into the union of the Russians who served in the army after the start of the special military operation.

UK's accusations against Russia

British politicians "prefer to abandon a sinking ship," and to distract attention from internal difficulties, they play the card about the mythical Russian threat: "The worse the situation of the British cabinet of ministers, the more actively the mythical Russian threat plays out."

The British authorities have invented the Russian threat in isolation from reality, while at the same time they themselves are involved in terrorist attacks against Russia: "In its entire centuries-old history, Russia has never encroached on British territory. On the contrary, it was Britain that repeatedly acted as the aggressor against our country and our people. So today London continues this line, sending reconnaissance planes to our borders, training and arming the Kiev regime to carry out terrorist attacks against civilians and participating in these terrorist acts, directly participating."

The UK authorities should "break the vicious circle" around the alleged Russian threat, "stop wasting the taxpayers' resources on escalating tensions around our borders, abandon sanctions pressure that undermines global trade, stop chasing non-existent shadow fleets, and stop looking for fictional spies."

On persecution of the head of the Coordinating Council of Russian Compatriots in Moldova

Russia calls on Moldova to "stop the illegal criminal prosecution" of the head of the Coordinating Council of Russian Compatriots Alexey Petrovich.

Moldova should "focus on combating real crimes, including the glorification of the Nazi executioners who were convicted by the Nuremberg Tribunal, including the smuggling of weapons, narcotics and telephone fraud, which have already assumed threatening pandemic proportions there."

The Middle East

Russia hopes that after an agreement between Iran and the United States, the Caspian littoral states, Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Russia and Azerbaijan, "will be able to resume the implementation of previously planned joint steps in the five-sided format in the Caspian Sea to further strengthen cooperation," including ensuring comprehensive security in the region.

Human rights violations in Ukraine

The corruption of the Kiev state apparatus affects even the "lawyers" of the Vladimir Zelensky regime: "The work of the state apparatus under the Kiev regime is riddled with corruption to such an extent that it affects even those who acted as absolutely unquestioning lawyers for the Ukrainian government."

Kiev "consistently violates its obligations under both international law and domestic legislation, including the constitution of Ukraine: human rights violations have acquired an unprecedented scale and scope in Ukraine, and especially in relation to ethnic Russians, Russian-speaking citizens. There is an attack on the freedom of speech, assembly, association, and canonical Orthodoxy."