Biosecurity in Putin’s Russia

In March 2012, at a meeting convened by the recently reelected Russian president Vladimir Putin, Minister of Defense Serdyukov informed Mr. Putin that a plan was being prepared for “the development of weapons based on new physical principles: radiation, geophysical wave, genetic, psychophysical, etc.” Subsequently, in response to concerns expressed both in Russia and abroad, the Russian government deleted the statement from the public transcript of the meeting. But the question remains: Is Russia developing an offensive biological warfare program? Raymond Zilinskas and Philippe Mauger investigate the multiple dimensions of this crucial security issue in their comprehensive, authoritative survey. Ranging from the Soviet legacy to current doctrine, from advanced weapons-development networks to civilian biotechnology research, from diplomatic initiatives to disinformation campaigns, they document and analyze the build-up and modernization of Russia’s biodefense establishment under the Putin administration. CONTENTS: • Putin’s Direction in the Biosciences. • The Legacy of the Soviet Biological Warfare Program. • Biosecurity and Military Modernization. • Biodefense and High-Technology Research and Development. • Civilian Bioscience and Biotechnology Since 2005. • Addressing the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention. • Policy Suggestions and Possible Future Collaborations. Title Page 5 Copyright page 6 Contents 7 Tables and Figures 9 Tables 9 Table 2.1 Bacterial and Viral Pathogens Used As Payloads for Soviet Anti-Personnel Biological Weapons 20 Table 3.1 Estimated Russian Defense Expenditures, 2008–2015 51 Table 4.1 The Primary Institutions Selected to Generate Figure 4.6 176 Table 4.2 Yearly Breakdown for the Tenders Used to Generate Figure 4.6 177 Table 5.1 Planned Financing of BIO-2020 As Given in the Underlying 2012 Document 231 Table 5.2 List of RAS Departments and Their Publication Records, 2006–2015 266 Figures 9 Figure 4.1 Organization Diagram for the Institutions Detailed in Chapter 4 102 Figure 4.2 Bermed Storage, Unit Parade Grounds, and Probable Labs N4and N5 with Renovated Roofs, 33rd Institute at Shikhany-2 165 Figure 4.3 Rospotrebnadzor Institutes, Journal Publications, Overview Page Data (eLibrary.ru), 2006–2015 166 Figure 4.4 Rospotrebnadzor Institutes, All Publications, Overview Page Data (eLibrary.ru), 2006–2015 167 Figure 4.5 Rospotrebnadzor Institutes, All Publications, Actual List Data (eLibrary.ru), 2006–2015 168 Figure 4.6 Network Diagram Displaying Open Financial Flows Between Institutions of Interest 169 Figure 5.1 Russian Doctor of Sciences and PhD Degrees Granted per Year in the Biologicaland Pharmaceutical Sciences, 1994–2015 225 Figure 5.2 Russian Doctor of Sciences and PhD Degrees Granted per Year in the Biological and Pharmeceutical Sciencesas Percentage of Total Number of Such Degrees Is sue d, 19 94–201 5 226 Figure 5.3 Output of Journal Articles from 314 RAS Institutes, 2006–2015 267 Figure 6.1 Map of Resolved and Continuing Outbreaks of African Swine Fever, 2014–2016 170 Acknowledgments 11 Ch1- Putin’s Direction in the Biosciences 13 Notes 18 Ch2- The Legacy of the Soviet Union’s Biological Warfare Program 19 The First-Generation Program, 1928–1971 19 The Second-Generation Program, 1972–1992 21 Legacy in Russia 22 Conclusions 35 Notes 37 Ch3- Russian Biosecurity and Military Modernization 45 Russia’s Military R&D Doctrine 47 Biosecurity Threat Perceptions and Biodefense Programming 63 A Warning Sign: The Hawks Within the NBC Troops 78 Conclusions 80 Annex 3.1 Selected Russian Documents and Statements 87 Annex 3.2 Russia’s Science and Technology Priorities Since 2002 88 Notes 89 Ch4- Biodefense and High-Technology Research and Development 99 Russian Ministry of Defense Institutions 103 Military Institutions Responsible forAdvanced Weapons Acquisition Planning and R&D 127 Select Military-Industrial Complex Institutions 137 Civilian Research Institutes with Biodefense Roles 143 Open Financial Flows Throughout Both Military and Civilian Networks 174 Conclusions 179 Annex 4.1 A 2008 NBC Troops Tender Describing Future Infrastructure Work 182 Annex 4.2 Russia’s Scientific Electronic Library: eLibrary.ru 185 Notes 187 Ch5- Civilian Bioscience and Biotechnology Since 2005 219 Developments in Biotechnology 220 Federal Programs, 2005–2016 227 Case Study 1: Consolidation of Russian Pharmaceutical Production 247 Case Study 2: Space Biology Projects 255 Case Study 3: Reforming the Russian Academies 260 Conclusions 269 Annex 5.1 Excerpts from Science in Siberia no. 26(2911), July 3, 2013 273 Notes 274 Ch6- Russia Addressing the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention 293 BWC Policy Process 297 Statements Related to the BWC, 2010–2016 303 Conclusions 350 Annex 6.1 Chronological List of Documents and Events Analyzed in Chapter 6 353 Annex 6.2 Cases of African Swine Fever in Europe and the Caucasus, 2014–2015 354 Annex 6.3 USA Today Reporting on US Biological Failures, August 4, 2015–June 24, 2016 356 Notes 357 Ch7- Policy Suggestions and Possible Future Collaborations 371 Space Biology 377 US and Russian Academies 377 Countering False Allegations 378 Notes 379 Acronyms 381 Bibliography 385 Index 389 About the Book 405 Putin's Direction In The Biosciences -- The Legacy Of The Soviet Union's Biological Warfare Program -- Russian Biosecurity And Military Modernization -- Biodefense And High Technology Research And Development -- Civilian Bioscience And Biotechnology Since 2005 -- Russia Addressing The Biological And Toxin Weapons Convention -- Policy Suggestions And Possible Future Collaborations. Raymond A. Zilinskas, Philippe Mauger. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Ranging from the Soviet legacy to current doctrine, from advanced weapons-development networks to civilian biotechnology research, from diplomatic initiatives to disinformation campaigns, this book documents and analyses the build-up and modernization of Russia's biodefense establishment under the Putin administration.