US military biolab network expanding worldwide — top Russian security official

NEW DELHI, June 23. /TASS/. The BRICS dialogue on biosafety is extremely important against the backdrop of the global expansion of the US military biological laboratory network, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu said at a meeting of senior BRICS representatives in charge of security issues.

"Biological security continues to require special attention from the BRICS countries. A network of US military biological laboratories is expanding worldwide. They are located in dozens of countries around the world. There are about 120 facilities in total, 40 of which are in Ukraine," he said during the session titled "Overcoming Unconventional Security Challenges: BRICS in an Unpredictable World."

"They work with dangerous pathogens there and conduct potentially risky experiments with viruses. In this regard, dialogue within the BRICS framework on biosafety issues appears to be extremely necessary," Shoigu emphasized.