reSee.it Podcast Summary
Whitney Webb introduces episode 34 of Unlimited Hangout, noting Ukraine has dominated headlines and drawing a parallel to the pandemic in terms of lab leaks, gain-of-function concerns, and bioterror narratives. She recalls a February claim that Russian missile strikes lined up with US-funded bio labs in Ukraine, and notes that Ilyana Gaytaneva claimed the US embassy in Ukraine deleted documentation about Pentagon-funded labs. Victoria Nuland testified before the US Senate on March 8 and confirmed that “The US has, quote, biological research facilities throughout Ukraine.” Some media dismissed the labs as benign biodefense facilities, while other sources suggest at least one Odessa facility is a biosafety level three lab researching dangerous pathogens used by bioterrorists. The conversation aims to examine the existence of these labs, the Pentagon programs and contractors involved, and the broader biodefense narratives.
Robbie Martin observes the timing of Russia’s lab rhetoric, noting Russia’s statements appeared around the invasion, with earlier attention to the Lugar Center in Georgia in 2018, not Ukraine. He says Nuland’s confirmation opened space for further scrutiny, though liberal media pushback argues against nefarious activity. Gumby adds that the joint Russia-China statement during the Olympics warned about US biodefense verifications and noted concerns about bioweapons programs by the US and allies. He explains the Biological Weapons Convention lacks teeth and verification mechanisms, contrasting it with the OPCW. The discussion touches on Bush-era efforts to block verification, and Obama’s administration maintaining the stance that it’s hard to distinguish offensive from defensive research.
They trace the programmatic history to the cooperative threat reduction program and the Nunn-Lugar framework, with Ukraine becoming a site for Pentagon funding and personnel to “secure pathogens and knowledge.” Gumby recounts Obama’s 2005 Kyiv trip, Tymoshenko’s role, and the upgrade of the Odessa Institute (Odessa II Mechnikov Anti-Plague Research Institute) to a BSL-3 facility by the Black & Veatch contractor, designed for work with pathogens tied to bioterrorism as well as natural origins. They mention another BSL-3 lab in Ukraine tied to the Ministry of Health, and discuss that Ukrainian facilities can handle high-containment pathogens. The discussion also notes that Metabiota and Rosemont Seneca are linked to these networks, with Hunter Biden connected through Rosemont Seneca, though the exact involvement is debated.
The guests explore the post-9/11 biodefense boom, Ken Alabek and William Patrick, the anthrax attacks of 2001, and the rise of domain-related efforts—DEFENSE Threat Reduction Agency’s DOMAIN program that evaluated countermeasures, including famotidine in COVID-19 discussions. Inglesby’s 2019 Senate testimony hints at lab-origin risk and the threat of release from non-circulating viruses. The conversation also covers smallpox as a recurring fear narrative, the potential for false flags, and Russian warnings about Ukrainian lab access, with officials like Robert Pope emphasizing consolidation and destruction of pathogens.
The episode closes with an invitation to follow Robbie Martin and Gumby for further research, noting the ongoing, contested nature of the information and the importance of downloading documents as they are being removed from official sites.