Original article (in Bosnian) was published on 20/9/2025; Author: Nerma Šehović
In the Morning Show of the Belgrade editorial office of the Russian state television RT, the annual address by Ursula von der Leyen on the state of the European Union was interpreted as an announcement of a new epidemic from Western laboratories. This conspiracy theory is part of the anti-Western propaganda narrative coming from Russia.
On September 14, 2025, the RT Balkan portal published an article under the following title:
Brussels Announces a New Epidemic: Are Biological Laboratories Already Working?
The article recapped the appearance of Danica Grujičić, a doctor and former Minister of Health of Serbia, on the Morning Show of RT Balkan (a recording of her appearance was also published in the article). The main topic of her interview was the recent address by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in which she stated, among other things, that the world is on the brink of a new health crisis.
The article states the following:
Former Minister of Health Prof. Dr. Danica Grujičić says that the fear being spread from Brussels—that the world is at the beginning of a new health crisis—means only one thing: that NATO, the United States, or Western European biological laboratories are doing their job.
She reminded viewers that as early as 2020 she had said that the coronavirus was not natural, but created in a laboratory.
(…)
Incidentally, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in her annual address, announced that the world is at the beginning of a new health crisis. Although she did not specify which disease she was referring to, von der Leyen immediately added that the spread of false information about vaccines was unacceptable. She also announced new EU measures in response to a new pandemic. It should be noted that she has a personal interest in a new batch of vaccines, since she negotiated the purchase of Pfizer vaccines via text messages during the coronavirus pandemic.
Other people from “globalist circles,” primarily Bill Gates, have repeatedly made predictions about a new virus similar to the coronavirus.
Grujičić emphasized that wars are also waged with deadly biological weapons.
The content of the article and the video of Danica Grujičić’s appearance are very similar. However, the segment also states that billionaire Bill Gates and Director-General of World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus have spoken about the possibility of a new pandemic occurring in the future, and that the topic was discussed at the World Economic Forum, which allegedly “controls all the mentioned actors.”
The host of the Morning Show also mentions the “biolaboratories” that were allegedly discovered at the beginning of the “special military operation”, as the Russian media refer to the invasion of Ukraine. Both the host and Danica Grujičić then emphasize that the general who spoke about this was killed.
Host: We remember the stories about biolaboratories from the beginning of the special military operation.
Grujičić: That’s right.
Host: … about that genetic experimentation?
Grujičić: Well, the man who talked about it was killed.
Host: That’s right, yes. They killed the first general who was one of the main people who discovered it.
The RT article was also shared by the portals Srbin (.info) and ISKRA.
What Did Ursula von der Leyen Say?
The entire segment in the Morning Show of RT Balkan, the Belgrade editorial office of the Russian state media formerly known as Russia Today, was dedicated to a small part of the annual address by European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen on September 10, 2025.
Von der Leyen announced, among other things, the launch of a new initiative for the resilience of global health systems, to be led by the European Union. She stated:
Europe must take the lead in the field of global health.
We are close to, or perhaps at the beginning, of another global health crisis.
As a doctor by profession, I am appalled by misinformation that undermines global progress in all areas, from measles to polio.
That is why I can announce today that the EU will lead a new Initiative for the Resilience of Global Health Systems.
The world looks to Europe, and Europe is ready to lead.
In her speech, she did not provide many details about this initiative, nor did she specify what exactly she meant by saying the world is close to another health crisis. However, if one considers the political context and the global state of public health, it becomes clear what she was referring to. Earlier this year, after Donald Trump assumed office as President of the United States, the country withdrew from the World Health Organization, and global investments in public health declined.
At the same time, as reported by Euronews in an article published on September 10, 2025, epidemics of diseases that were once considered nearly eradicated, such as measles and whooping cough, have reemerged in many developed countries.
According to data from a study published in the medical journal The Lancet, more than 15 million children worldwide have not received routine vaccinations since 2023. Von der Leyen briefly referred to this issue in her address.
Therefore, the President of the European Commission did not “announce” an epidemic or pandemic in her speech. Although she did not provide any details, considering the broader context of global public health, it is far more likely that her statement referred to the growing crises caused by preventable diseases.
However, both the segment and article published by RT not only explicitly claim that von der Leyen “announced a new epidemic”, but also, without any evidence, claim that the European Union or other Western countries are creating pathogens in laboratories for this epidemic, implying that the same was the case with the Covid-19 pandemic.
RT has published numerous conspiracy theories in past years aimed at spreading anti-Western sentiment and, in some cases, justifying Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Raskrinkavanje has previously written about this in several analyses, available here, here, and here.
Propaganda Narrative About “Biolaboratories” in Ukraine
Just days after Russia launched its open invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Russian officials and institutions began spreading claims about secret U.S. biolaboratories in Ukraine. It did not take long for these claims to spread across social media and websites, alleging that biological weapons targeting “Russian DNA” were being developed there—or that dangerous viruses were being created (1, 2, 3). This was one of the justifications for Russia’s invasion.
These claims have proven to be baseless. First of all, biological weapons designed for specific national genes do not exist, since there is no such thing as “Russian DNA”, just as there is no Ukrainian, American, Serbian, Bosnian, or any other national DNA. DNA does not recognize nationality.
The supposed “evidence” for these claims is a cooperation agreement between the Ukrainian Ministry of Health and the U.S. Department of Defense, signed in 2005, on preventing the spread of technologies, pathogens, and expertise that could be used to develop biological weapons. It is a publicly available document, accessible for nearly two decades, that does not provide for the creation of military laboratories or the development of anything that could be construed as biological weapons.
Three and a half years after the start of the war in Ukraine, not a single piece of concrete material evidence has been presented proving that secret biolaboratories in Ukraine were producing biological weapons or creating dangerous new diseases.
The RT segment claims that the Russian general who “exposed” the alleged biolaboratories in Ukraine was killed. This likely refers to Igor Kirillov, the general in charge of Russia’s biological, chemical, and nuclear defense. Kirillov, an active participant in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and accused of several war crimes since the beginning of the war, was killed in Moscow in December 2024. The Ukrainian intelligence service claimed responsibility. Like many Russian officials at the start of the invasion, Kirillov claimed that secret American biolaboratories were operating in Ukraine, but never provided any evidence to support those claims.
The insinuation that he was killed for “exposing” non-existent laboratories is completely absurd.
Conspiracy Theories About the World Economic Forum
The RT segment also states that American billionaire Bill Gates, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and the World Economic Forum have spoken about new pandemics. It claims that these two individuals, as well as Ursula von der Leyen, are controlled by the World Economic Forum.
Raskrinkavanje has previously addressed conspiracy theories portraying the World Economic Forum and its now-former president and founder, Klaus Schwab, as shadow rulers who control governments and all social processes with the aim of imposing repressive measures on the entire population (1, 2, 3).
In reality, the World Economic Forum is an international non-profit organization founded in 1971 in Geneva. While it enjoys global recognition and undoubtedly holds a certain degree of influence, it has absolutely no authority or power to impose or dictate anything to governments.
Claims that the World Economic Forum, which primarily organizes events and conferences, secretly controls key global political actors or orchestrates world events are simply unsupported by any evidence.
Pandemics, the spread of certain diseases across large geographic areas, have occurred throughout human history, from ancient times to today. Therefore, it is no secret that another pandemic will eventually happen, and there is nothing inherently suspicious about someone discussing that possibility, especially when that person is the Director-General of the World Health Organization, whose primary role is to oversee global public health.Based on the facts, we rate the claim that “Brussels is announcing a new epidemic” as manipulation of facts and a conspiracy theory. The claim that the West is developing pathogens for a new pandemic in laboratories is rated as a conspiracy theory. The same rating is given to the claim that the World Economic Forum is preparing a new pandemic through “actors it controls.”
