Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the head of the Russian armed forces’ radiation, chemical and biological defense unit, has voiced concerns regarding the Pentagon’s access to potential biological weapon agents, due to its biological and military programs worldwide.
Kirillov explained that, “[Branches] around the world, allow the U.S. military to gain access to epidemically significant variants of pathogens that are potential agents of biological weapons.”
He named potentially harmful pathogens such as the ones causing Marburg and Ebola fevers, malaria, and Rift Valley fever in a few instances.
He further noted that the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research’s involvement in the U-Pi-1 and U-Pi-2 military biological projects, where significant quantities of biomaterials were gathered from the Ukrainian population, have resulted in the active study of antibiotic resistance in microorganisms.
These samples, he disclosed, were collected from the Ukrainian military during the conflict in Donbas from 2014 to 2020.
The increasing global apprehension towards such activities, Kirillov mentioned, has compelled the Pentagon to reconsider its approach to dual-purpose biological research.
“At the same time, due to the growing concern of the world community, the Pentagon is forced to change its tactics when organizing dual-purpose work,” he stated.
Kirillov also stressed on the Pentagon’s strategy of relocating its biological laboratories to third countries, such as Ukraine, citing the excessively high accident risk in American laboratories.
“The unacceptably high risk of accidents in U.S. biological laboratories is one of the reasons for their withdrawal from national jurisdiction and transfer to the territory of third countries, including Ukraine, and other states,” he remarked.
Kirillov asserted this strategy could potentially be linked to the escalation of epidemic situations and the emergence of unusual diseases and their vectors in these locations.
Notably, he linked an upsurge in bird flu cases in Russia to the migration of infected birds from Ukraine.
Additionally, Kirillov mentioned a recent move by the UK, indicating their alignment with the U.S.’s stance on biological research.
“The amount of funding for activities within the framework of the strategy will amount to 1.5 billion pounds annually,” he mentioned, referring to the UK’s national biosecurity strategy adopted on June 12.
He asserted that these strategic documents in bioproduction and combating biothreats permit the United States to conduct dual-use research and control the biological situation according to their interests.
