As the Canadian official in charge of the bio labs file in 2007-8, I call BS. All of our activities, coordinated with the US, were above-board, and designed to PREVENT bioweapons proliferation, eg by replicating secure facilities like 🇨🇦 own Winnipeg lab in the post-Soviet space.

In the early hours of this day 85 years ago, thousands of families across Estonia were woken by a knock on the door, only to be torn from their homes and deported to Siberia by the Soviet regime. During the June 1941 deportations, around 10,000 Estonians, together with tens of thousands of Latvians and Lithuanians, fell victim to Soviet terror. As we honour the victims of these crimes, we must also remember that Russia is using many of the same methods in Ukraine today — deporting children, terrorising civilians, and attempting to erase Ukrainian identity. History teaches us that crimes left unpunished lead to further aggression. It is time to hold Russia accountable.

Madyar, Ukraine’s top drone commander: We will isolate Crimea. Striking vehicles on that highway is as easy as shooting partridges in an open field. Military personnel and defense workers will find it impossible to remain there or use access routes to it. 1/

If you want to measure the impact of a European leader, look at how much energy foreign adversaries spend trying to destroy their reputation. The constant stream of pro-Russian and pro-China propaganda aimed at @kajakallas proves she is a formidable opponent to them, and while the exact powers of the EU High Representative position can potentially be reformed, Kallas has the ideal mindset to confront hostile autocrats. European capitals have every right to analyze and potentially adjust the bureaucratic mandate of the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. Rethinking how the bloc coordinates its external actions is a standard part of institutional evolution, but any systemic flaws in the office cannot be blamed on Kallas. The concentrated hostility directed at her from state media ecosystems in Russia and China (and some other enemies too) is an involuntary admission that her strategic clarity poses a major problem for them. Their fixation on Kallas confirms her status as a high-stakes obstacle. She has a profound understanding of the psychological games autocrats play, and she refuses to grant them the passive diplomatic concessions they crave. Her clear, unyielding communication style helps insulate the European Union from the gaslighting tactics that hostile regimes use to manipulate Western policy. The narrative attacks against her should therefore be viewed as validation of her approach. Discussions about reforming European diplomacy are healthy, but Kallas herself is not the issue, as her defiant attitude is exactly what is needed to face down modern authoritarian threats

Comment of the @MFA_Ukraine on regular manipulations surrounding the issue of biological laboratories in Ukraine: "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. For instance, in 2022, at the request of the Russian Federation under Article V of the BWC, an official consultative process was held with the participation of the States Parties to the Convention. During this process, all data regarding the relevant cooperation programs, their objectives, and implementation mechanisms were provided. As a result of the consultations, the allegations regarding the supposed development of biological weapons or the operation of military biological programs in Ukraine found no confirmation whatsoever. The relevant issues were also considered within the UN Security Council, where no evidence was presented to support the claims made by the Russian Federation. In December 2023, Ukraine officially reaffirmed its position at the meeting of the States Parties to the BWC, emphasizing that the 2022 consultative process had comprehensively addressed these allegations, and that Ukraine's cooperation with international partners in the field of public health fully complies with the provisions of the Convention. Ukraine remains committed to the principles of transparency, international cooperation, and strengthening the global biosafety system. We call for reliance on the outcomes of international consultations and verified facts, rather than on distorted interpretations or Russian propaganda."