Putin warned that the US shadow government will release bird flu as a biological weapon before the election

Checked on December 17, 2025
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Executive summary

A public warning with the substance that "the US shadow government will release bird flu as a biological weapon before the election" is a restatement of a Kremlin claim disseminated through Russian military spokespeople and amplified by fringe and partisan outlets; those sources assert Moscow unearthed "evidence" of U.S. plans to spread disease via migratory birds [1] [2]. Independent, Western reporting and long-standing analysis of Kremlin disinformation treat such accusations as part of a persistent Russian narrative accusing the United States of secret bioweapons programs, and do not corroborate the specific allegation [3] [4].

1. What was actually said and where it came from

The allegation traces to a Russian military briefing attributed to Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, presented as an "urgent" warning that U.S. “Deep State” actors plan to unleash disease — including by using migratory birds — to trigger a pandemic ahead of the 2024 election; that message was carried by multiple sympathetic or partisan outlets including The People’s Voice, Vigilant News and Rumble-hosted reposts [1] [5] [2]. These reports quote Kremlin talking points and repeat phrases such as “preparing to intentionally spread a disease via ‘migratory birds’” and a plot to “unleash a second pandemic” to blame Russia or another adversary [1] [5] [2].

2. How the claim is being amplified and by whom

The story proliferated primarily through fringe, alternative and partisan channels that routinely republish Kremlin briefings and conspiratorial framing, including The People’s Voice, Before It’s News, SGT Report and other aggregation sites that added speculation about a U.S. “Deep State” motive and election sabotage [1] [6] [7]. Those outlets often present Kremlin assertions without independent verification and sometimes layer domestic conspiratorial narratives — naming “globalists” or billionaire donors — which broadens the claim’s appeal to audiences predisposed to anti-establishment theories [8] [7].

3. What mainstream and independent reporting says about such allegations

Major Western outlets and analysts have repeatedly described Russian claims about U.S. biological weapons programs as disinformation: the New York Times documented Kremlin claims that the U.S. ran secret bioweapons labs and trained birds to carry pathogens and noted international rejection of those assertions [3]. The New York Times and other outlets have also reported that Russia has used bioweapons accusations to justify aggression and spread doubt, while independent analysts conclude most participants at international meetings have dismissed the allegations [3] [4]. Foreign Policy and investigative pieces explain that these narratives are part of an information campaign that Washington struggles to counter effectively [9].

4. Evidence and counter-evidence: what’s missing

In the sources provided there is no independent forensic, intelligence, or investigative evidence offered that confirms a U.S. plan to weaponize avian influenza via migratory birds; the reporting shows assertions coming from Russian officials and being amplified by sympathetic outlets, not corroboration from neutral or U.S. investigative sources [1] [5] [2] [3]. U.S. officials have previously denied similar Kremlin claims and called them “preposterous” or “total nonsense,” and international forums have largely rejected Russia’s bioweapons narratives [4]. The provided material therefore documents the claim and its amplification, but not independent proof.

5. Why this matters: motive, information operations, and audience effects

Kremlin dissemination of bioweapons allegations serves clear strategic goals — to undermine U.S. credibility, sow domestic doubt inside democracies, and justify Russian actions — a pattern noted by The New York Times, Foreign Policy and reporting on Russia’s 2024 influence efforts [3] [9] [10]. Alternative outlets amplify the narrative to reach audiences receptive to conspiracy framing; intelligence and media experts warn that such cycles of accusation and amplification are purposeful tools in modern information warfare, not neutral public-health alerts [11] [9]. Given the absence of neutral verification in the provided sources, the strongest journalistic conclusion is that the claim exists and is being promoted by Kremlin-aligned channels, but remains unsubstantiated by independent evidence [1] [3] [4].

Want to dive deeper?
What independent investigations have been conducted into Russian claims about U.S. bioweapons in Ukraine?
How do international bodies like the Biological Weapons Convention respond to state-level accusations of bioweapons development?
What methods have analysts identified for detecting and countering Kremlin disinformation campaigns about public health?