15 March 2022 

UN

 

United Nations ‘Not Aware of Any Biological Weapons Programme in Ukraine’, Disarmament Affairs Chief Tells Security Council

VASSILY A. NEBENZIA (Russian Federation) recalled that, in the course of his country’s special military operation in Ukraine, information was discovered of dangerous projects related to a biological and weapons programme in Ukraine, backed by Western colleagues.  Last week, when confronted by such evidence, the United States delegate was not able to explain documentary proof of such cooperation - namely, of a 2005 agreement signed between United States and Ukrainian ministers, which laid out support for joint biological research on Ukrainian territory.  Over the last week, new details have come to light, namely that the components for biological weapons were being created on Ukrainian territory.  Indeed, he said, the United States was not assisting the Ukrainian Ministry of Health as it claimed, but rather the Ministry of Defence.  The Russian Federation has circulated proof of that agreement to the Council, including proof of direct funding to Ukraine amounting to $32 million and of research direction by the Pentagon.

The representatives of the United States continue to muddle that information, asserting that the country does not operate in any biological laboratories in Ukraine, “but the facts show otherwise”, he continued.  In fact, the Ukrainian authorities gave the United States carte blanche to carry out dangerous experiments on its territory in return for free travel and accommodations to international conferences.  Describing the use of the Ukrainian territory by the United States as cynical, he called on other countries that provide such access to Washington, D.C., to carefully study their cooperation contracts and to share data on the activities of some 360 laboratories under United States control around the world.

In Ukraine, he said, evidence points to studies that were conducted on Crimean-Congo fever, leptospirosis and other dangerous pathogens.  As those are naturally present in both Ukraine and the Russian Federation, their use could then be easily dressed up as naturally occurring.  In that context, he called for more attention to be paid to the contractors selected by the United States to carry out such research, namely the Black & Veatch company.  Noting that research into six families of viruses — including coronaviruses — were identified in the United States-Ukraine research since 2009, he said documents now reveal the involvement of the Kharkov Institute, which was central in studying how such illnesses could pass from bats into humans.  Ukrainian specialists were not informed of associated risks and were kept in the dark as to the real goals of the research.  Meanwhile, biological waste was transported long distances and evidence was often destroyed.

Spotlighting the United States Government staff member Joanna Wintrol as the individual who signed the documents found by the Russian Federation, he stated:  “We are talking about more and more proof that, at the heart of Central Europe, a dangerous biological operation was being carried out.”  Recalling that, in 2018, residents of Luhansk and Donetsk saw the spread of a new, deadly, multi-resistant strain of tuberculosis, he stressed that the outbreak now “does not look like a coincidence”.  The Russian Federation has long pushed for an additional protocol to the Biological Weapons Convention to provide more transparency on such activities, but the United States has blocked it.  Today, it is evident that the facts discovered are “only the tip of the iceberg”.  The Russian Federation will continue to keep the international community informed as more facts emerge, he said.

In Ukraine, he said, evidence points to studies that were conducted on Crimean-Congo fever, leptospirosis and other dangerous pathogens.  As those are naturally present in both Ukraine and the Russian Federation, their use could then be easily dressed up as naturally occurring.  In that context, he called for more attention to be paid to the contractors selected by the United States to carry out such research, namely the Black & Veatch company.  Noting that research into six families of viruses - including coronaviruses - were identified in the United States-Ukraine research since 2009, he said documents now reveal the involvement of the Kharkov Institute, which was central in studying how such illnesses could pass from bats into humans.  Ukrainian specialists were not informed of associated risks and were kept in the dark as to the real goals of the research.  Meanwhile, biological waste was transported long distances and evidence was often destroyed.

Spotlighting the United States Government staff member Joanna Wintrol as the individual who signed the documents found by the Russian Federation, he stated:  “We are talking about more and more proof that, at the heart of Central Europe, a dangerous biological operation was being carried out.”  Recalling that, in 2018, residents of Luhansk and Donetsk saw the spread of a new, deadly, multi-resistant strain of tuberculosis, he stressed that the outbreak now “does not look like a coincidence”.  The Russian Federation has long pushed for an additional protocol to the Biological Weapons Convention to provide more transparency on such activities, but the United States has blocked it.  Today, it is evident that the facts discovered are “only the tip of the iceberg”.  The Russian Federation will continue to keep the international community informed as more facts emerge, he said.

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UN allocates $40 million from Emergency Fund for Ukraine

(New York, 14 March 2022): As humanitarian needs escalate rapidly in Ukraine, the United Nations humanitarian chief, Martin Griffiths, today allocated US$40 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to ramp up aid agencies’ efforts to reach the most vulnerable people.

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Break the link between illicit drugs and social media: UN-backed report

The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), an independent, UN-backed body, is calling on governments to do more to regulate social media platforms that glamourize drug-related negative behaviour and boost sales of controlled substances.

In its annual report, released on Thursday, the INCB notes increasing evidence of a link between exposure to social media and drug use, which disproportionately affects young people, the main users of social media platforms, and an age group with relatively high rates of drug abuse.

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INTERPOL

 

Ukraine: INTERPOL General Secretariat statement

INTERPOL expresses its deepest sympathy and sorrow over the loss of life and suffering in connection with the conflict in Ukraine.

Neutrality is fundamental to INTERPOL’s work and existence, even, indeed especially, when member countries are engaged in conflict. It is a position that INTERPOL has maintained consistently.

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Experts highlight global efforts to combat online child sexual abuse

98 participants from 54 countries gather to share best practices in the fight against child exploitation

LYON, France –With the scale of child sexual exploitation and abuse increasing, specialists from around the globe have gathered to enhance the collective global response.

Over four days (14 - 17 March), the INTERPOL Specialists Group on Crimes Against Children will engage participants in global efforts and technical solutions to combat online child sexual abuse, identify victims and their attackers, and disrupt criminal networks involved in producing and circulating abusive content.

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INTERPOL supports New Zealand-led international operation into online child sexual abuse material

146 children safeguarded internationally

LYON, France – An international operation led by New Zealand’s Te Tari Taiwhenua Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) has identified more than 90,000 online accounts that have possessed or traded child sexual abuse material.

In what officials have called ‘the largest and most challenging online child exploitation operation led out of New Zealand’, the DIA brought together international law enforcement agencies, including INTERPOL, to assist and coordinate what became hundreds of investigations across the world.

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52 arrests in operation across 28 countries targeting trafficking in cultural goods

Seized pieces include archaeological objects, furniture, coins, paintings, musical instruments and statuettes.

LYON, France – A global operation targeting illicit trafficking in cultural goods has led to 52 arrests and the seizure of 9,408 cultural artefacts across the world. These priceless items include archaeological objects, furniture, coins, paintings, musical instruments and statuettes

Operation Pandora VI, the operational phase of which ran from 1 June to 30 September 2021, saw law enforcement authorities in 28 countries carry out checks and controls in airports and at border crossing points, as well as in auction houses, museums and private homes.

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Pharmaceutical crime: first INTERPOL-AFRIPOL front-line operation sees arrests and seizures across Africa

COVID-19 crisis heightens threat of global trade in counterfeit pharmaceutical products.

A pan-African police operation jointly coordinated by INTERPOL and AFRIPOL has identified hundreds of suspects and resulted in seizures of more than 12 million illicit health products.

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Europol

 

New Accountability Framework to use artificial intelligence in a transparent and accountable manner

Five EU Justice and Home Affairs Agencies collaborated together with CENTRIC researchers to create the world-first ‘AI accountability framework’ to guide the deployment of AI tools by security practitioners.

The project Accountability Principles for Artificial Intelligence (AP4AI) is jointly conducted by Centre of Excellence in Terrorism, Resilience, Intelligence and Organised Crime Research (CENTRIC) and the Europol Innovation Lab, and supported by Eurojust, the EU Agency for Asylum (EUAA) and the EU Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL) with advice and contributions by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), in the framework of the EU Innovation Hub for Internal Security.

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Counterfeit and pirated goods get boost from pandemic, new report confirms

The latest Intellectual Property Crime Threat Assessment, produced jointly between Europol and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), reveals that the distribution of counterfeit goods has been thriving during the COVID-19 pandemic. The health crisis has presented new opportunities for trade in counterfeit and pirated products, and criminals have adjusted their business models to the meet the new global demand.

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14 arrests for euro counterfeiting in Spain

The criminal network was also involved in drug trafficking and different scams

On 1 March 2022, Europol supported the Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional) and the Spanish regional Catalan Police (Mossos d'Esquadra) to dismantle an organised crime group involved in the production and distribution of counterfeit euro banknotes and drug trafficking. 

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146 children worldwide saved in an operation targeting child abuse online

90 000 online accounts were identified internationally, 46 suspects arrested in New Zealand and more than 100 identified across the EU

Europol supported an international investigation into tens of thousands of accounts possessing and sharing child sexual abuse material online. The operation, led by the Te Tari Taiwhenua Department of Internal Affairs, has so far involved law enforcement authorities from Australia, Austria, Canada, Croatia, Czechia, Greece, Hungary, Slovenia, Spain, the UK and the US. The international coordination of the investigative activities facilitated the identification of a large number of individuals tied to these accounts. 

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