COVID-19 spread due to lab leak in Wuhan

Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe claims: COVID-19 spread due to a leak from a laboratory in Wuhan

Director of Central Intelligence John Ratcliffe made a striking statement about the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic in his first interview. 

According to him, the virus, which has claimed the lives of a million Americans, likely emerged as a result of a leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.

Ratcliffe emphasised that the question of the coronavirus's origin had been a priority for him from the very beginning. «Почему за пять лет ЦРУ так и не предоставило официальную оценку происхождения COVID-19? Для меня это остаётся загадкой» (Why has the CIA failed to provide an official assessment of the origin of COVID-19 in five years? It remains a mystery to me), he stated. The Director noted that science, intelligence data, and common sense point to a laboratory origin for the virus.

At the same time, he expressed disappointment that the CIA had still not provided a clear assessment of this theory, and if such an assessment had been made, it had remained inaccessible to the general public.

Ratcliffe also touched on the broader topic of the threat posed by China, emphasising the importance of a comprehensive approach to countering its manifestations. «Этот вопрос касается не только здравоохранения, но и национальной безопасности. Мы должны делать всё возможное, чтобы предотвратить подобные трагедии в будущем» (This issue concerns not only healthcare but also national security. We must do everything possible to prevent such tragedies in the future), he noted.