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Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released a trove of declassified records detailing US funding of more than 120 biological laboratories in more than 30 countries, arguing that the documents confirm concerns previously thought to be inaccurate.
The release comes years after Gabbard was criticized for raising concerns about US-funded biolabs in Ukraine following a 2022 Russian invasion. Critics accused him of echoing Russian stories, while supporters argued legitimate questions about the labs’ activities and oversight were being improperly dismissed.
The newly released records include ODNI summary slides detailing the scope of US involvement in the Ukrainian laboratory network.
DNI TULSI GABBARD REVIEWS US WITH OVER 120 FUNDS IN THE WORLD
A bio-safety lab where infectious samples of SARS-CoV-2 are inactivated is shown at the Penn Center for Research on Coronavirus and Other Emerging Pathogens at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pa., on Dec. 16, 2021.
Another document says that more than 40 laboratories in Ukraine receive US funding and keep collections of dangerous viruses and bacteria, some of which date back to the Soviet era. The records also show that Ukrainian scientists received US-funded training to work with dangerous viruses and participated in a program focused on treating particularly dangerous diseases.
These documents list viruses that are tested or maintained within the laboratory network, including anthrax, tuberculosis, plague, Ebola virus, Marburg virus, MERS and SARS.
Additional records detail US-sponsored construction and development of research facilities throughout Ukraine, including areas in Kherson, Odesa and western Ukraine. The documents identify engineering firm Black & Veatch as the prime contractor and show US taxpayers spent between $1.7 million and $3.5 million on each laboratory’s plans.
LAWYERS DEMAND ANSWERS AFTER BIOLAB’S DISCOVERY OF ALLEGED FINDING IN CHINA NATIONAL HOME LAS VEGAS
Newly declassified records released by DNI Tulsi Gabbard reveal details about US-funded biological laboratories around the world, dominating the debate over overseas programs. (Stock)
One unclassified test focused on an animal research laboratory in Kharkiv that received Pentagon funding through the Department of Defense’s Biological Threat Reduction Program.
According to the study, the facility was storing hundreds of samples of dangerous bacteria, including Brucella bacteria, which can cause a disease known as brucellosis. The document warned that the lab could become a victim of Russian propaganda efforts or be damaged, captured or compromised during the war.
Another ODNI slide describes what it describes as a “web of communications” linking Ukrainian laboratories to US government agencies, universities, research organizations and private contractors. The document states that US funding supports research on avian influenza and other highly contagious viruses in high-quality laboratories.
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Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard appears during a House Intelligence Committee hearing on global threats on March 19, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Gabbard said the documents show the public has not been given a full picture of US-backed biological research programs overseas. Critics, however, say maintaining the facilities was part of a long-term public health and threat reduction effort designed to protect against dangerous pathogens and prevent biological proliferation rather than serve as biological weapons systems.
The downgrade could reignite debate over government transparency, career-spanning research and the scope of US-funded biological research overseas.
