DNI Tulsi Gabbard Releases Declassified Information on 120 US-Funded Biolabs Across 30+ Countries

DNI Tulsi Gabbard, in her final weeks leading the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, released partially redacted declassified documents detailing U.S. taxpayer funding for more than 120 biolabs in over 30 countries, with particular focus on Ukraine, where more than 40 facilities are identified. The documents indicate that many labs have conducted research on hazardous pathogens—including anthrax, Ebola, SARS, MERS, tuberculosis, and plague—some with ties to Soviet-era biological warfare programs, and that certain facilities engaged in gain-of-function research with limited oversight. A declassified map shows the locations and biosafety levels of Ukrainian labs across multiple cities, with one site near Odesa flagged as a biological weapons storage location. Gabbard accused former officials including Anthony Fauci and members of the Biden administration's national security team of lying to the public about the labs' existence, framing the release as a transparency effort aligned with Trump's executive order EO 14292. However, the documents do not provide evidence of offensive biological weapons development, and independent bioweapons experts, including former U.S. arms control officials, characterized the Ukrainian labs as non-secret, defensive facilities whose cooperation with the U.S. was a well-publicized effort to secure and convert former Soviet research sites. ODNI also announced new intelligence collection directives targeting overseas biological facilities, with early findings already raising what officials described as ethical, financial, and security concerns about ongoing clinical trials.