The diplomat recalled that Russia's operation in Ukraine had started urgently. If the Ukrainian health ministry sent relevant instructions to biolaboratories throughout the country on the day the operation started, it means that an emergency plan had been put into action. She added that the laboratories that were supposed to destroy the materials they worked with in case of an emergency were US facilities conducting bioweapon experiments.
"This completely changes the picture of US involvement in the fate of Ukraine: it is not just an instrument of influence, it is not just an instrument of deterrence, it is an instrument of a direct threat to our country," Zakharova said on air in an interview with Sputnik Radio, which started broadcasting on a new frequency on Wednesday.
If the activities of biolaboratories in Ukraine hadn't been stopped, their development would have gotten out of control, the official added.
On 7 March, the Russian Armed Forces discovered 30 biological laboratories in Ukraine, which were possibly involved in biological weapons production, according to the head of the radiation, chemical and biological defence of the Russian Armed Forces Igor Kirillov.
The Russian defence ministry made public a presentation, which said that the United States spent more than $200 million on the work of biological laboratories in Ukraine, the laboratories of the central sanitary and epidemiological directorate of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry participated in the US military biological programme.
After the Russian military statement US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland confirmed that Ukraine hosts "biological research facilities" and the United States was concerned that they could come under the control of the Russian forces.
On Tuesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said that China urged the United States to "fully clarify its biological militarisation activities at home and abroad".