The Russian Ministry of Defense has identified four US biolabs in Nigeria as the source of monkeypox and called on the World Health Organization to investigate their work.
The corresponding statement was made by the Chief of the Russian Armed Forces' NBC Protection Troops, Igor Kirillov, at a briefing on May 27.
The Russian Defense Ministry's press service reported this on Telegram.
Statement
According to the WHO report, Kirillov recalled, the West African strain of the monkeypox pathogen spread from Nigeria, where the US biological infrastructure is located.
According to the military commander, there are at least four US-controlled laboratories operating in the country.
Kirillov noted a strange coincidence, noting that it requires further verification by specialists: according to American and European media, the materials of last year's Munich Security Conference, i.e., against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic, included a scenario for countering an outbreak of a new strain of the monkeypox virus.
In light of numerous instances of Washington violating biosafety requirements and negligent storage of pathogenic biomaterials, Russia is calling on WHO leadership to investigate the work of US-funded Nigerian laboratories in Lagos, Zaria, and Abuja and to present the findings to the international community.
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