The Soviet Union’s Invisible Weapons of Mass Destruction : Biopreparat's Covert Biological Warfare Programme

This book focuses on Biopreparat , the Soviet agency created in 1974, which spearheaded the largest and most sophisticated biological warfare programme the world has ever seen. At its height, Biopreparat employed more than 30,000 personnel and incorporated an enormous network embracing military-focused research institutes, design centres, biowarfare pilot facilities and dual-use production plants. The secret network pursued major offensive R&D programmes, which sought to use genetic engineering techniques to create microbial strains resistant to antibiotics and with wholly new and unexpected pathogenic properties. During the mid-1980s, Biopreparat increased in size and political importance and also emerged as a major civil biopharmaceutical player in the USSR. In the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, an acute struggle for control of Biopreparat ’s most valuable assets took place and the network was eventually broken-up and control of its facilities transferred to a myriad of state agencies and private companies. Acknowledgements 6 Contents 8 About the Author 10 List of Figures 12 Chapter 1: Introduction 15 Chapter 2: The Secret History: Khrushchev’s Creation of Soviet Reserve Biological Warfare Mobilization Facilities Within Civil Production Plants in the 1950s and 1960s 23 Chapter 3: Glavmikrobioprom and the Emergence of the Soviet Microbiological Industry 33 The Soviet Microbial Proteins Programme 37 “Food from Oil”: Soviet Production of Microbial Proteins from Petroleum Derivatives 39 From Chemical to Biological Weapons: The Appointment of Vasilii Dmitrievich Belyaev as Head of the Microbiological Industry 42 BW R&D and Production Programmes Directly Pursued by Glavmikrobioprom 46 The Creation of Microbiological Facilities at Stepnogorsk 51 The Establishment of the Interdepartmental Scientific-Technical Council (MNTS) for Molecular Biology and Genetics Under Glavmikrobioprom 54 Chapter 4: Genesis: The Creation of Biopreparat 62 Biopreparat’s Initial Network of R&D and Production Facilities 67 VNIIbiokhimmashproekt: The Beating Heart of Biopreparat 69 VNIIbiokhimmashproekt’s Affiliated Sister Institutes 76 The Creation of the Science Production Association Biomash (NPO Biomash) 81 Chapter 5: Anthrax on the Kazakh Steppe: Biopreparat’s Network of Experimental-Industrial Bases 86 The Omutninsk Scientific Experimental-Industrial Base (ONOPB) 87 The Berdsk Scientific Experimental-Industrial Base (BNOPB) 89 The Stepnogorsk Scientific Experimental-Industrial Base (SNOPB) 90 The Transfer of B. anthracis Production from Sverdlovsk to Stepnogorsk 95 Chapter 6: The Creation of Biopreparat’s Scientific Base: The R&D Complexes at Obolensk, Kol’tsovo and Leningrad 100 Accomplishments of VNII PM in Soviet Weaponization Programmes: Bonfire (Koster) 106 The Factor (Faktor) Programme at Obolensk 106 The Transfer of the Lotoshino Production Plant to VNII PM 110 Biopreparat’s Virology Centre: The All-Union Institute of Molecular Biology (VNII MB) 111 The Creation of the Science Production Association Vektor 115 Accomplishments of VNII MB in Soviet Weaponization Programmes 118 Accidents During VNII MB’s Pursuit of Weaponization Programmes 120 The Civil Cover Is Blown: The Defection of Vladimir Artemovich Pasechnik to the UK and the Exposure of Biopreparat’s Secret BW Research Programme 123 Chapter 7: A Roadmap to the Future? The Emergence of Biopreparat as a Major Civil Biopharmaceutical Player 145 Engagement with the West: The Emergence of Kanatzhan Baizakovich Alibekov 152 Decay, Corruption and Environmental Protest: The Birth of the State Concern Biopreparat 158 Chapter 8: A Brave New World: Building Capitalism in the New Russia and the Struggle for Control of Biopreparat 165 Kalinin’s Retention of Power Within Russia’s Pharmaceutical Sector 167 The Establishment of the Open Joint Stock Company Biopreparat-Tsentr (Biopreparat-Centre) 169 Proposed Biopreparat Role in the Conversion of Russia’s Military Biological Facilities 170 The Financial Meltdown Within RAO Biopreparat and the Pivotal Role of the ISTC 171 The Fight for Ownership of Biopreparat’s Assets 175 Biopreparat and the Bitter Struggle for Control of Lyubuchany 176 Biopreparat’s Engagement with Russian and US Commercial Companies at Lyubuchany 179 The New Russia and the Struggle for the Control of Assets at Lyubuchany 181 The Creation of the Open Joint Stock Company Biopreparat 184 Estimating Numbers of Biopreparat Personnel 187 Scientific Meltdown: The Loss of Core Components of the Biopreparat Network 188 Operating in a System Subject to Endemic Corruption and Organized Crime 195 Recombinant Insulin Production in Kazakhstan: Biopreparat’s Ambitious Plans to Convert Military Biological Facilities at Stepnogorsk 197 US Engagement with Biomedpreparat and Destruction of BW Facilities at Stepnogorsk 203 Biopreparat’s Glittering Legacy: The Emergence of International Biotechnology Reagent Companies 205 Russia’s Civil Focus for Facilities at Vostochnyi 212 US Assistance in Dismantling of Biopreparat Dual-Use BW Facilities in Russia 215 Ending Not with a Bang but a Whimper 217 Chapter 9: Conclusion 234 Characteristics of the Biopreparat BW Programme 234 Soviet Rationale for the Launch of the Biopreparat Programme 236 The Achievements of the Biopreparat Programme 237 Biopreparat’s Legacy 241 Appendix A: Soviet and Russian Abbreviations and Acronyms 245 Appendix B: Composition of the Interbranch Scientific and Technical Council for Molecular Biology and Genetics (MNTS) 250 Appendix C: List of Associations, Enterprises and Organizations Included Within the State Concern Biopreparat, 4 April 19911 252 Appendix D: Award of Soviet State Honours to Glavmikrobioprom and Biopreparat Personnel 256 Index 260 This book focuses on Biopreparat, the Soviet agency created in 1974, which spearheaded the largest and most sophisticated biological warfare programme the world has ever seen. At its height, Biopreparat employed more than 30,000 personnel and incorporated an enormous network embracing military-focused research institutes, design centres, biowarfare pilot facilities and dual-use production plants. The secret network pursued major offensive R&D programmes, which sought to use genetic engineering techniques to create microbial strains resistant to antibiotics and with wholly new and unexpected pathogenic properties. During the mid-1980s, Biopreparat increased in size and political importance and also emerged as a major civil biopharmaceutical player in the USSR. In the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, an acute struggle for control of Biopreparat's most valuable assets took place and the network was eventually broken-up and control of its facilities transferred to a myriad of state agencies and private companies. Anthony Rimmington is a former Senior Research Fellow at Birmingham University's Centre for Russian, European and Eurasian Studies, UK. He has published widely on the civil life sciences sector in the post-Soviet states and on the USSR's offensive biological warfare programme, including The Soviet Union's Agricultural Biowarfare Programme: Ploughshares to Swords (Palgrave, 2021) This book focuses on Biopreparat, the Soviet agency created in 1974, which spearheaded the largest and most sophisticated biological warfare programme the world has ever seen. At its height, Biopreparat employed more than 30,000 personnel and incorporated an enormous network embracing military-focused research institutes, design centres, biowarfare pilot facilities and dual-use production plants. The secret network pursued major offensive R & D programmes, which sought to use genetic engineering techniques to create microbial strains resistant to antibiotics and with wholly new and unexpected pathogenic properties. During the mid-1980s, Biopreparat increased in size and political importance and also emerged as a major civil biopharmaceutical player in the USSR. In the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, an acute struggle for control of Biopreparats most valuable assets took place and the network was eventually broken-up and control of its facilities transferred to a myriad of state agencies and private companies. Anthony Rimmington is a former Senior Research Fellow at Birmingham Universitys Centre for Russian, European and Eurasian Studies, UK. He has published widely on the civil life sciences sector in the post-Soviet states and on the USSRs offensive biological warfare programme, including The Soviet Unions Agricultural Biowarfare Programme: Ploughshares to Swords (Palgrave, 2021)