#ChemicalWeapons #BiologicalWeapons #GenevaProtocol The 1925 Geneva Protocol: The League of Nations’ Only Arms Control Agreement Historical Notes #6 (July 2025), 107pp. For download: the-trench.org/1925-geneva-p… The origins of the Geneva Protocol and the history of its negotiation 100 years ago, including an analysis of why Poland insisted on inserting bacteriological weapons in the document. On Wednesday, 17 June 1925, the Conference for the Supervision of the International Traffic in Arms successfully concluded six weeks of negotiations with three agreements. One of them was the Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or Other Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare. Of the forty-four participating delegations, twenty-six possessed plenipotentiary power to sign the Protocol before the closing of the Conference. Another twelve states affixed their signatures and ratified the document before its general entry into force on 8 February 1928. As of June 2025, 147 states are party to the Geneva Protocol, as the legal instrument is commonly known. Despite being a mere single-page long, the agreement has limited the use of chemical weapons (CW) in armed conflicts and all but prevented the deliberate spread of disease as a method of warfare. Being part of the laws of war, it did not forbid the development, production and possession of chemical and bacteriological (biological) weapons (CBW). Still, it paved the way for the 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) and the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). In addition, it provides the legal foundation for the UN Secretary-General’s Mechanism to investigate alleged CBW use. The 1998 Rome Statute, which established the International Criminal Court, uses Protocol language to declare CW use a war crime. (A later amendment added BW use to the list of war crimes but utilised the reference to biological and bacteriological agents in the BTWC.) While today nobody contests the Geneva Protocol’s contribution to the development of the norm against CBW, little is known about the factors that contributed to its emergence and negotiation. Why was the document a protocol and not a treaty? Given the supposed widespread abhorrence against CW after the massive and systematic use of gas during the First World War, why did it take almost seven years for the international community to translate this repugnance into a global ban? Why did the centuries-old customary prohibition of poison use, codified for the first time at the 1899 Hague Convention and restated at the 1907 Hague Convention, no longer suffice? How did the negotiators, seemingly out of nowhere, decide to include disease as a method of warfare in the Protocol? This issue of Historical Studies aims to answer these and many other questions.

Something unbelievable is going on. After #TulsiGabbard declassified intelligence (sic) on the #BiologicalWeapons research in the US-funded #biolabs in #Ukraine, On Saturday, extreme right-wing Laura Loomer accused her of plagiarising Russian accusations against UKR. x.com/LauraLoomer/status/206… Yesterday, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence struck back: it's gain-of-function research, stupid. (Heil #Trump) x.com/ODNIgov/status/2065987… And by the way, ODNI admitted to preparing the map that puts Kyiv just above Odesa and misidentifies other places. (See image).

#ChemicalWeapons #Disarmament #Syria #OPCW #ISIL #Terrorism What the discovery of Assad-era chemical weapons means for Syria arabnews.pk/node/2647076/mid… [...] Hawach highlighted the urgency of safely securing and destroying the newly uncovered stockpiles. “These weapons stay dangerous as long as they are neither fully found nor destroyed,” he said. That danger, he added, extends beyond the materials already recovered. It includes “the material already recovered but still in storage, and the far larger amount buried at sites no one has reached, which could slip into the hands of a group like (Daesh), which has used such weapons before,” he said. “How small the risk stays depends on the size of the efforts and speed of the search.” Other experts warn that the problem is not only technical but also financial and criminal. [...]

#ChemicalWeapons #ArtificialIntelligence #Threat #OPCW Mind the Chemical Gap osint4cbrne.substack.com/p/m… In March 2026 the body that polices the global ban on chemical weapons said something quietly alarming about artificial intelligence. The (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) the OPCW, the outfit that has verifiably destroyed every declared chemical-weapons stockpile on Earth - released the final report of its Scientific Advisory Board’s working group on AI. The report’s headline was optimistic: AI can help with verification, with sifting declarations, with corroborating reports of attacks.1 Buried in the framing was the uncomfortable part. The way the AI-safety world currently measures danger does not really see chemistry. It sees biology and assumes chemistry is close enough. It is not close enough. And the gap between how well we measure biological risk in frontier models and how poorly we measure chemical risk is now wide enough, and well-enough documented, to name plainly. [...]

#BiologicalWeapons #Ukraine #Disinformation #TulsiGabbard #ConspiracyTheory Comment of the MFA on Regular Manipulations Surrounding the Issue of Biological Laboratories in Ukraine mfa.gov.ua/en/news/komentar-… The Ukrainian side has noted another wave of manipulations regarding certain cooperation programs in the field of biosafety and public health in Ukraine. We once again reject these groundless accusations and emphasize that Ukraine consistently fulfills its international obligations under the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC). The Ukrainian side has never engaged in any activities related to the development, production, or stockpiling of biological weapons. For many years, cooperation between Ukraine and the United States in the field of biosafety has been aimed exclusively at strengthening the capabilities of the public health system, epidemiological surveillance, laboratory diagnostics, biosafety, and biosecurity. This refers to ordinary civilian activities that comply with international public health standards and practices, and are entirely unrelated to any military objectives. The laboratory facilities involved in the relevant international technical assistance programs are diagnostic, scientific, or reference laboratories within the public health system, veterinary medicine, or other scientific institutions. The narrative of alleged "laboratories for the development of biological weapons" is not new—Russia has used it in its propaganda for many years. At the same time, all Russian accusations have been repeatedly debunked at the international level. [...]

#TulsiGabbard speaks for the #TrumpAdministration #Russia laps up the #ConspiracyTheory #BiologicalWeapons #Ukraine #Disinformation Ukraine becomes testing ground for West’s scientific experiments — Russian senator tass.com/politics/2146105 [...] "Ukraine has truly become a huge testing ground for inhumane scientific experiments, weapons testing in combat conditions and social engineering for the West. It turns out that there really were facilities in Ukraine funded by the United States, where they worked with dangerous pathogens, which has been talked about in Russia for so long. Moreover, individual American intelligence agencies themselves warned about the risks," Voloshin said. [...]

#BiologicalWeapons #Ukraine #Disinformation #TulsiGabbard #ConspiracyTheory

#BiologicalWeapons #Ukraine #Disinformation #TulsiGabbard #ConspiracyTheory Tulsi Gabbard's Final Act of Defiance almauroni.substack.com/p/tul… [...] The third slide is a lot of small type so I’m going to skip commenting on it other than to note that it shows how the United States financially supported efforts in Ukrainian labs. Yeah, that was kind of the whole point of the program. The last slide, though, it’s just a doozy. It shows … are you sitting down? a “web of connections’ between Ukrainian labs and the “U.S. BW Defense Industry.” Now, normal people would think that this means the DoD CB Defense Program, but the DNI has added the USDA, the CDC, the World Health Organization (???). the University of Florida, the University of New Mexico, University of Tennessee, and other public health firms that have never been involved in the “U.S. BW Defense Industry.” [...] So that’s it, four slides with a big “nothing burger” flavor to it. The only person who wins in this discussion is Putin. Which makes me say again, the Senate Republicans completely ignored their responsibilities to adequately vet Trump’s candidates to the top of our nation’s executive agencies, but in no small way, let some real mind-blowing fools into our national security community. Enjoy your weekend.

#ChemicalWeapons #Poisoning #HybridOperations #Russia #UkraineRussiaWar Law enforcement arrests 19-year-old implicated in Russian plot to poison Ukrainian officer english.nv.ua/nation/teenage… [...] Investigations revealed that Russian intelligence operatives contacted a Ukrainian military officer through a fraudulent social media account, eventually convincing the officer to accept a “gift” by mail. The 19-year-old suspect then purchased a bottle of high-proof alcohol and used a medical syringe to inject a prepared methadone-based poison mixture into the bottle without breaking the factory seal. He then shipped the poisoned alcohol to the victim's residence in Zhytomyr. [...]

#BiologicalWeapons #Ukraine #Disinformation #TulsiGabbard #ConspiracyTheory DNI Gabbard Reveals Evidence of U.S. Taxpayer-Funded Global Biolab Program odni.gov/index.php/newsroom/… After months of searching through Intelligence Community holdings and files, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard is revealing new evidence of longstanding United States government funding for more than 120 biolabs in over 30 countries. These biolabs include labs in Ukraine, which may be at risk of compromise due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. For example, the Intelligence Community previously warned that a US-funded biolab in Ukraine likely housed dangerous pathogens and remained vulnerable to longstanding threats of Russian attack, seizure, or damage. The newly declassified evidence can be found HERE. ( dni.gov/files/BIOLAB_Slides.…) Until now, evidence regarding the full existence and funding of these laboratories had been knowingly withheld from the American people. The information surrounding the existence, history, locations and funding of these US funded biolabs has been intentionally covered up by powerful people falsely, claiming that they do not exist and accusing anyone who says otherwise to be foreign assets and traitors to America. [...]

#BiologicalWeapons #HybridOperations #Threat #Preparedness #Japan Escalation and Ambiguity: Advancing Japan’s Preparedness Against Hybrid Biological Threats councilonstrategicrisks.org/… [...] Simultaneously, many nations have witnessed a sharp increase in malicious hybrid activities that portend ways adversaries may consider biological options. Biological threats are increasingly converging with information warfare to sow distrust, maximize harm, or achieve a geopolitical objective. Concerns are rising that hostile actors may seek to mimic naturally occurring diseases, developing weapons that bear no signatures of synthetic creation to mask deliberate attacks. Japan has long been attuned to the risks of infectious diseases and other biodefense challenges. In addition to its unique geography and its role as a hub for global travel and commerce, the country’s approach to these challenges is informed by frequent natural disasters and historical events like the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack by Aum Shinrikyo. [...]

#BiologicalWeapons #Alert #Pentagon Pentagon’s hours-long lockdown is lifted after false #anthrax alert washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/… The Pentagon was placed on lockdown for several hours Thursday after a false alarm triggered a hazardous-materials alert at the building, authorities said. Though the Pentagon did not disclose which hazardous material it was investigating, two people familiar with the matter, speaking on the condition of anonymity to share sensitive details, said that security personnel were testing for anthrax. [...]

#BiologicalWeapons #Biosecurity #Agriculture Agricultural Security Considerations for the U.S. Corn Belt rand.org/pubs/research_repor… [PDF available] In this report, the authors examine the agricultural security risks to crop production in the U.S. Corn Belt, the backbone of the United States' food, feed, and biofuel industries. This region in the heart of the Midwest faces evolving threats that are shaped by biological factors, such as plant pathogens and pests; environmental stressors, such as drought and climate variability; societal and technological shifts that influence production, such as changes in supply chains; and policy frameworks. These interacting factors affect agricultural security, domestic stability, and global trade. By identifying key threat categories and potential impacts on the Corn Belt's agricultural industries, the authors aim to support data-driven decision-making for risk mitigation, preparedness, and coordinated response across the public and private sectors. This report contributes to building a proactive and integrated approach to safeguarding U.S. crop production against emerging biological, environmental, and societal risks.

#ChemicalWeapons #Poisoning #HybridOperations #Russia #UkraineRussiaWar Teen Girls Used as Killers: Russia’s New Plot Against Ukrainian Servicemen, Police Say kyivpost.com/post/77880 Ukrainian police say Russian intelligence services are increasingly recruiting young women, including minors, to target Ukrainian male service members through dating apps and social media. Authorities have documented six murder plots in 2026 alone, one of which was prevented. Investigators say Russian handlers use Telegram and other platforms to lure recruits with promises of easy money, often directing them to poison or gather intelligence on military personnel. [...]

#ChemicalWeapons #OPCW #Drones #Threat OPCW examines how drone technology changes global chemical security landscape opcw.org/media-centre/news/2… Emerging technologies are reshaping the chemical security landscape, and uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) technologies, commonly referred to as drones, are among the most prominent examples. Drones are widely used in many areas of security, including border surveillance, critical infrastructure monitoring, disaster response, and law enforcement operations, but also in other areas of life, such as agriculture, industry, logistics, and tourism. As these systems become cheaper, more capable and more widely available, they create new challenges for preventing the misuse of toxic chemicals. At the same time, they offer opportunities to support verification and capacity-building activities carried out by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). [...]

#ChemicalWeapons #AcidAttack #Kenya Devastating Acid Attack Wipes Out Thika Family in Domestic Dispute streamlinefeed.co.ke/news/be… A harrowing domestic dispute in the quiet Blue Oasis area of Kiganjo Estate has culminated in the unimaginable, after a 34-year-old man used corrosive acid to wipe out his entire family before succumbing to the horrific chemical burns himself. The tragedy, which unfolded on the night of Friday, June 5, has left the Thika community paralyzed with shock and mourning. The total annihilation of the young family starkly exposes the lethal escalation of domestic violence in Kenya, an epidemic that continues to operate unchecked behind closed doors until it explodes into catastrophic public tragedy. [...]

#BiologicalWeapons #Toxin #Ricin #Terrorism #UK

#ChemicalWeapons #USA #SolomonIslands #WW2 Call for Transparency and Action on Possible Chemical Weapons Sites on Banika Island solomonstarnews.com/call-for… The governments of the United States and Solomon Islands should work together to publicly identify and assess any remaining World War II chemical weapons storage or disposal sites on Banika Island in the Russell Islands, Central Islands province. Historical records indicate that chemical warfare munitions, including mustard gas-filled artillery shells and aerial bombs, were stored on Banika Island during World War II. Although investigations have been conducted over the years, uncertainty remains among local communities regarding the exact locations of these former stockpiles and whether any hazardous materials remain buried, abandoned, or undiscovered. For decades, residents, landowners, and visitors have lived, farmed, fished, and carried out development activities on Banika Island without access to complete information about the locations of wartime military storage areas. This lack of public information raises legitimate concerns about public safety, environmental protection, and long-term land use planning. [...]