---
title: "The Secret of Bald Island: How Russia Turned a Veterinary Laboratory into a Group I Pathogen Facility"
description: "Ukraine's HUR revealed details of the secret complex on Lysyy Island in the Tver Region: since 2022 the facility has been reconstructed into a laboratory handling Group I pathogens, is guarded by the FSB, and has been closed to access since 2023."
date: 2026-08-29T12:28:07.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/secret-biocomplex-bald-island-tver-region
tags: [russia, biological-weapons, tver-region, ukraine-intelligence, secret-facility, fmbu]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# The Secret of Bald Island: How Russia Turned a Veterinary Laboratory into a Group I Pathogen Facility

![Researcher in protective gear works with a pipette in a laboratory studying dangerous pathogens on Bare Island](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/29/sekretnyi-biokompleks-ostrov-lysyi-tverskaya-oblast/sekretnyi-biokompleks-ostrov-lysyi-tverskaya-oblast-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Since 2022, reconstruction of a complex on Lysyy Island in the Tver Region has been underway, which, according to HUR, operates in the interests of the Russian Ministry of Defence
- A Russian FMBA job vacancy for the island requires work with Group I pathogens — plague, Ebola, smallpox, anthrax
- The waters around the island have been closed since 2023; the facility is guarded by the FSB, the Federal Protective Service, a military garrison, and air-defence systems
- The reconstruction is proceeding in parallel with the development of the 48th Central Research Institute of the Ministry of Defence near Moscow under a single programme

On the closed island of Lysyy (Bald Island) in Russia's Tver Region, a secret complex is reportedly operating that may be linked to military biological research, according to Ukrainian military intelligence. This was stated by Andrii Cherniak, a representative of the Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR), in an interview with Kyiv Post, as cited by RBC-Ukraine. According to him, the facility is formally subordinate to the Russian Federal Medico-Biological Agency, but in practice it operates in the interests of the Russian Ministry of Defence. The complex, which has existed since 1938, was originally used to study animal diseases, but after a large-scale reconstruction that began in 2022, it acquired characteristics incompatible with a purely veterinary purpose.

### From a Veterinary Station to a Heavily Guarded Facility

The history of the complex on Lysyy Island spans nearly ninety years. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the facility gradually fell into disrepair and was, for all intents and purposes, abandoned. The turning point came in 2022, when Russia began a large-scale reconstruction: old buildings were demolished and new laboratory premises with enhanced protection were erected in their place. According to Ukrainian intelligence assessments, these structures are intended for work with biological samples and chemical substances and are regarded as an important element of "ensuring the defence capability and security of Russia." Officially, the facility is named the "Centre of Experimental Physiology," and the Russian side claims that it studies diseases of domestic animals, including brucellosis and tuberculosis.

### The Job Vacancy That Explains Everything

A key detail drawing attention to the complex's true purpose was a fact recorded in May 2026: the Russian Federal Medico-Biological Agency posted a job vacancy for a laboratory technician to work on the island. Among the requirements for candidates was work with pathogenic biological agents of Groups I–IV. Under the Russian classification, the most dangerous Group I includes the causative agents of particularly dangerous infections — plague, Ebola, smallpox, and anthrax. It is precisely this requirement that, in the view of Ukrainian intelligence, makes it impossible to interpret the facility solely as a veterinary laboratory and raises questions about the nature of the work being carried out there.

### Closed Waters and Multi-Level Security

The geographical location of the complex raises a separate concern. Lysyy Island is surrounded by a body of water, access to which has been officially closed since 2023. "The Kremlin does not want anyone to get in and record what is happening there," Cherniak emphasized. According to his data, the facility is guarded at the highest level: FSB units and the Federal Protective Service, a military garrison, as well as air-defence systems and electronic warfare means have been deployed to ensure security. In addition, Cherniak recalled that as early as the 1950s–1960s, American intelligence considered this facility a possible centre for the development of biological weapons.

### A Parallel Programme and Risks to the Population

The reconstruction of the complex on Lysyy Island, according to HUR data, took place in parallel with the development of the 48th Central Research Institute of the Russian Ministry of Defence, located near Moscow. Ukrainian intelligence claims that both facilities were being restored under a single funding programme. Cherniak also warned of the potential consequences of a possible accident: the release of aggressive chemical substances into the water could destroy the local ecosystem, after which contamination would spread along the rivers, depriving hundreds of thousands of people of access to drinking water. Even more dangerous, in his assessment, could be the entry of pathogenic microorganisms into the aquatic environment, and the Russian authorities, according to the HUR representative's assumption, might not inform the population of the true scale of the threat in such a case. Reminder: on 21 August 2026, HUR officially announced that Russia had created a secret military-biological complex on Lysyy Island in the Tver Region.

### Contradictory Data

There are a number of significant discrepancies between the official statements of the Russian side and the assessments of Ukrainian intelligence. First, in terms of formal subordination, the facility is listed under the Russian Federal Medico-Biological Agency, whereas HUR claims that in practice it operates in the interests of the Ministry of Defence. Second, the Russian side positions the "Centre of Experimental Physiology" as an institution studying diseases of domestic animals, while a job vacancy requiring work with Group I pathogens (plague, Ebola, smallpox, anthrax) does not fit within the framework of veterinary activity. Third, the source materials feature a variable spelling of the island's name — "Lysyy" and "Lysiyy" — which, although it does not affect the essence, indicates the absence of a single official name in open sources. The Russian side has not publicly commented on the statements of Ukrainian intelligence.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Deadly pathogens, the FSB, and a closed island: HUR reveals the secrets of Russia's biolab](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/smertelni-patogeni-fsb-i-zakritiy-ostriv-1788006360.html) - Единственный источник. Интервью А. Черняка (ГУР) Kyiv Post. Все факты (год основания 1938, реконструкция 2022, закрытие акватории 2023, вакансия ФМБА в мае, охрана ФСБ/ФСО, параллельная программа с 48-м ЦНИИ) взяты из этого заявления. Российская сторона не опровергла и не подтвердила.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What is Lysyy Island and where is it located?
**A:** Lysyy Island is located in Russia's Tver Region. A facility officially named the "Centre of Experimental Physiology" has been operating there since 1938. Since 2023, the waters around the island have been closed to access.

### Q: Which pathogens are mentioned in connection with this facility?
**A:** The Russian FMBA job vacancy for work on the island specifies a requirement to work with pathogenic biological agents of Groups I–IV. Under the Russian classification, Group I (the most dangerous) includes the causative agents of plague, Ebola, smallpox, and anthrax.

### Q: To whom is the facility formally subordinate?
**A:** Officially, the facility is under the jurisdiction of the Russian Federal Medico-Biological Agency. However, according to Ukraine's HUR, in practice the complex operates in the interests of the Russian Ministry of Defence.

### Q: When did the reconstruction of the complex begin?
**A:** According to HUR representative Andrii Cherniak, the large-scale reconstruction began in 2022: old buildings were demolished, and new laboratory premises with enhanced protection were built in their place.

### Q: What risks are associated with a possible incident at the facility?
**A:** HUR warns that the release of aggressive chemical substances or pathogenic microorganisms into the water could destroy the ecosystem of the Tver Region and neighbouring areas, as well as deprive hundreds of thousands of people of access to drinking water.