Gabbard declassifies records on U.S.-funded biolabs

June 15, 2026

1–2 minutes

Summary

Newly released intelligence records said the U.S. funded more than 120 biolabs in over 30 countries, including more than 40 in Ukraine.

Why this matters

The release adds detail to longstanding questions about U.S. support for overseas biological research, including work involving dangerous pathogens. It also comes as the Trump administration increases scrutiny of gain-of-function research and pathogen security.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard declassified intelligence material that she said showed longstanding U.S. funding for more than 120 biological laboratories in more than 30 countries, including more than 40 in Ukraine.

According to the release, some U.S.-funded facilities conducted research involving hazardous pathogens. The documents listed anthrax, tularemia, plague, tuberculosis, African swine fever, Newcastle disease, MERS, SARS, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, and Lassa fever.

One slide said more than 40 laboratories in Ukraine were built or supported with U.S. funding. The documents described training for Ukrainian scientists in biocontainment facilities and programs involving pathogen storage, surveillance, and research.

The records identified specific facilities and funding amounts, including more than $3.4 million for the Central Reference Laboratory at the Ukrainian Research Anti-Plague Institute in Odesa and more than $2.1 million for the Institute of Veterinary Medicine of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences. Additional funding went to laboratories in Kherson and Zakarpattia.

A network diagram in the declassified material linked U.S. agencies, international organizations, universities, and Ukrainian institutions. It included the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, the Naval Medical Research Center, the World Health Organization, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, and several U.S. universities. The documents did not explain the role of every entity shown.

Gabbard’s office also said intelligence analysts had warned that a U.S.-funded lab in Ukraine likely housed dangerous pathogens and was vulnerable to Russian attack, seizure, or accidental damage during the war.

Gabbard said information about the scope of the laboratories had not been fully disclosed publicly. The documents establish that U.S.-supported laboratories existed in Ukraine and that federal agencies funded research, training, and infrastructure involving biological materials and infectious diseases.

The release came after President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14292 in May 2025, restricting federal funding for gain-of-function research and directing agencies to identify biological research that could pose public health or national security risks. ide a full list of projects.

Gabbard also announced guidance directing intelligence agencies to increase collection on foreign biological laboratories receiving U.S. support.

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