On June 2, 2023, a fragment of the interview with the Iranian media – Press TV by the American ex-lieutenant, Scott Bennett, was published in the Facebook group “Antilab-Georgia.” Bennett claims that biological weapons were being created on the territory of Ukraine under the leadership of the US. According to Bennett, this process started in 2005 with the creation of the organization 501C3, which later transformed into “Metabiota.” This organization was financed by the company Rosemont Fonseca, which was headed by Hunter Biden. In the interview, Bennett also notes that under the administration of Obama and Biden, the DNA of the Slavic population was being collected in order to create biological weapons against them.
Scott Bennett’s statements about bio laboratories operating in Ukraine repeat the Kremlin disinformation that has been circulating for years now. The fact that the DNA of the Slavic people was collected to create bioweapons against them is without evidence. Information on biosecurity cooperation between Ukraine and the US is transparent and available in open sources. In addition, the claim that the company “Metabiota” has anything to do with the process of creating biological weapons is also not based on evidence.
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Conspiracy about the elimination of the Slavic gene
Information that Slavic DNA was being selectively collected to create biological weapons against them is a conspiracy theory. It is technically impossible to create bioagents that would selectively destroy only the Slavic gene. The Kremlin has voiced similar claims in the past as well. Various scientists have responded to it, and for example, Professor Oliver Jones, Head of Biosciences and Food Technology at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, said the allegations were science fiction. According to Jones, people are too genetically similar to find agents that would only work on some people and not others. For more information on this topic, see the “Myth Detector” article:
Disinformation as If Ukraine Developed Bio-agents Capable of Selectively Infecting Slavs
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Hunter Biden and Metabiota
In the disseminated post, Scott Bennett voices accusations about the son of US President Joe Biden – Hunter Biden. According to Bennett, Hunter Biden headed the company that funded Metabiota, which was involved in the creation of biological weapons. Hunter Biden is one of the founders of Rosemont Seneca Partners, which actually financed Metabiota, although there is no evidence that the company has anything to do with the creation of biological weapons. In addition, according to the Washington Post, Hunter Biden’s role in Rosemont Seneca Technology Partners did not entail the management of investments.
“Metabiota” is a non-profit company whose research is public. The company offers three primary services to the public:
1) Monitoring the spread of infectious diseases among humans and animals together with local authorities to identify diseases that are potentially dangerous to public health; 2) Assistance in developing better disease control strategies through disease surveillance and training of local researchers; 3) Consulting research centers to improve biosafety, quality of observation, disease control and etc.
False claims about Hunter Biden and Metabiota have been addressed by “Myth Detector” in the past as well. For more, see:
The Emails of Hunter Biden do not Prove the Funding for Producing Bio-Weapons in Ukrainehu
INSIDER: Leaked Documents about “Metabiota” are Fake
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US-Funded Laboratories in Ukraine
Scott Bennett also notes that biological weapons were being created on the territory of Ukraine under the guidance of the US. It should be noted that in 2005, the Ukrainian and American sides signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of biosecurity. Full information related to the agreement and all terms of the agreement are available on the website of the Rada of Ukraine and do not represent any kind of secrecy. This agreement provides for cooperation to prevent the spread of technologies, pathogens and knowledge that could be used to create biological weapons.
“Myth Detector” verified the information on the topic of biosecurity cooperation between Ukraine and the US in the past as well. For details, see:
New Wave of Kremlin Disinformation Regarding the Biosafety Cooperation between the US and Ukraine
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Who is Scott Bennett?
Scott Bennett is a former US lieutenant and Kremlin propaganda expert who has been convicted of three different counts: illegal possession of a large number of weapons in the US, impersonating an officer, and making false and fraudulent statements to the US Department of the Air Force. He was sentenced to three years in prison in 2011.
Notably, Scott Bennett is a frequent guest of the Kremlin and Iranian media, who is presented as a Western expert. Iranian media Press TV has amplified disinformation about biolaboratories based on Bennett even in 2022. Scott Bennett is a frequent guest on the program of Russian propagandist journalist Vladimir Solovyov. At the same time, he is a fan of Vladimir Putin, and in one of his programs, he demanded that Putin be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
For years now, Kremlin propaganda has been spreading disinformation that US-funded biolaboratories in Ukraine are working on the production of biological and nuclear weapons. To prove this fact, the Ministry of Defense of Russia often showcases different documents, which actually do not include any evidence. For more on these topics, see: “Myth Detector” articles:
- “20 000 Documents” by the Kremlin that [DO NOT] Confirm the Creation of Bio-weapons in Ukraine
- Pro-Kremlin Actors Presented as Georgian Scientists Ask Kremlin to Examine the Lugar Lab
- New Wave of Kremlin Disinformation Regarding the Biosafety Cooperation between the US and Ukraine
About the Source
Disinformation related to biolaboratories and various viruses is often circulated in the Facebook group “Antilab-Georgia.” Myth Detector has debunked a number of them. For details, see:
- Documents published by PROJECT VERITAS do not confirm that PFIZER was hiding Information
- 3 Disinformation Narratives about the DTRA Program and the Spread of Infectious Diseases in Ukraine
In addition, the Facebook user Lado Qartvelishvili regularly spreads disinformation.
Nika Aladoshvili
Myth Detector Lab
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