{
  "id": 2574809,
  "title": "Intelligence: Putin ordered secret biolab built on island, so protected that fishing is banned, and its own guards fear infection",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/intelligence-putin-ordered-secret-biolab-built-on-island-so-protected",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-22T12:04:21.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Euromaidan Press",
    "slug": "euromaidan-press",
    "url": "https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/08/22/intelligence-putin-ordered-secret-biolab-built-on-island-so-protected-that-fishing-is-banned-and-its-own-guards-fear-infection/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ukrainian Defense Intelligence (HUR) has uncovered evidence suggesting Russia operates secretive biolabs on Lisy Island, located within Russia's Tver Oblast. The island, situated in the Vyshnevolotsk reservoir, serves as a base for conducting experiments involving hazardous viruses and pathogens intended for military use. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has repeatedly accused Ukraine of harboring clandestine U.S.-funded biological weapons labs, a claim rejected by international bodies and Ukraine itself, which denies any such program.\n\nHUR alleges that President Vladimir Putin ordered the establishment of the Center for Experimental Physiology, a facility dedicated to ensuring Russia's defense capability and security. Since 2023, the waters surrounding the island have been off-limits to fishing, swimming, and boating, and designated a \"specially protected area of regional significance.\" The facility is shielded from aerial threats by air-defense missile crews, and Defense Minister Andrei Belousov oversees its security. Soldiers stationed at the site have expressed private concerns about potential infection from an unknown pathogen.\n\nHUR warns that the lab's location poses a significant risk, as the reservoir supplies fresh water to surrounding settlements, including the town of Vyshnii Volochok, and feeds the Tvertsa River, which flows into the Volga River. Should dangerous pathogens or chemicals escape from the laboratories, the consequences could be catastrophic, potentially leading to epidemics and infections that could threaten not only the regional population but also Russia as a whole. HUR links the lab to a 2026 outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in cattle, alleging that this and other similar incidents might stem from failed Russian experiments with viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens. While this claim is based on HUR's account and cannot be independently verified, it echoes Russia's documented history of weaponizing the biolab narrative against others.",
  "summary": "Ukraine's military intelligence says Russia runs a secret biolab complex in Tver Oblast, an inversion of Russia's own false claims about Ukraine.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}