Russian Cold War Weaponry: Biological and Chemical Warfare (CBW)

<
Figure 1.--

Discussions of the dangers of a military conflict between the Unitd States and the Soviet Union focused on nuclear weapons. Much less was written about chemical and bacteriological warfare (CBW). Both sides worked in CBW, but the Soviet effort was massive and virtually nothing was known about it. Only after the end of the Cold War did details begin to leak out about the extent and nature of the Soviet CBW program. The Soviets deceloped both chenical and biological weapons, but the greatest effort was on biolgical weapons. American strategy in the Cold War ws massive retaliation, only to use nuclear wrapons if the Soviets launched a first strike. And tht was the end of the American stratgy. The Soviet strategy included a second phase. After Soviet nuclear weapons had destroyed American cities, the Soviets planned a follow-up strike to inplant horrifying plagues. This would destroy the countryside and what was left of American society. Here biological weapons were much more potent than chemical weapons because of their self-propagating capability. The Soviets developed the most leathal biological weapons in human history. The American effort pauled in comparison to what the Soviets developed and was officially terminated (1969). The Soviets developed multiple-drug resistant antrax as well as 'stealth' pathogens that would be virtually undectable. [Leitenberg and Zilinskas] The work with genetics is interesting given how Stalin set back Soviet genetics decades when he support Lychenko and his socialist genetics. The Soviet work involved genetically engineered bacterial and viral pathogens. It is difficult to assess the Soviet motivationn for creating these weapons. Soviet officials and military leders were apparently convinced that the Uited states was developing similar wepons. It is unclear how they reached this cinclusion other than America had the capability to do so. The Soviet biological weapons program was mssive, including ten of thousands of people, There was a serious accident at a bio-weaopons plant in Sverdlovsk (1979). While the destruction of nuclear weapons in the United States and Soviet Union were carefully monitored, nothing like that occurred with the Soviet CBW stockpiles. The United States and the Soviet Union signed a treaty banning the production of biological weaoons (1972). ThecSoviet Union continued, however, researching and producing biological weaoins in secret, a flagrant violation of the Treaty. Russian President Borris Yeltsin after the disolution of the Sovie Union admitted tonU.S. officials admitted te existence of the secret program. Since then journalists and former Soviet scibtists (inclusing defectors), and U.S. officials have published accounts of the Soviet program. It is very likely that all these deadly strains are still kept in the freezers of Russian military research laboratories today. It is interesting to note that while American geneticists were mapping the human genome and using genetics to develop new drugs and improved seeds to increase crop yields, virtually the only creation of Soviet geneticists were these terrible pathogens. Not only is there a moral dimensions to this, but also an economic dimension. Large number of Soviet scientist and technicians worked on this project which despite massive spending returned no benefit to the Soviet economy and people.

Neglected Topic

Discussions of the dangers of a military conflict between the Unitd States and the Soviet Union focused on nuclear weapons. Much less was written about chemical and bacteriological warfare (CBW). Both sides worked in CBW, but the Soviet effort was massive and virtually nothing was known about it. Only after the end of the Cold War did details begin to leak out about the extent and nature of the Soviet CBW program.

Inter-War Effort

We know that the Soviets worked on chemical weapons during the inter-War era. As faras we know they mostly developed and produced World War I era chemical agents. We do not know of any breal throughs like the ones achieved by German scientists. We do not yet any information on Soviet biological research during the inter-War era.

Cold War Effort

The Soviets developed both chenical and biological weapons, but the greatest effort was on biolgical weapons. The Soviet BW ffort was massive and unrivaled in scope and leathality The Soviets developed the most leathal biological weapons in human history. The American effort pauled in comparison to what the Soviets developed and was officially terminated (1969). The Soviets developed multiple-drug resistant antrax as well as 'stealth' pathogens that would be virtually undectable. [Leitenberg and Zilinskas] The work with genetics is interesting given how Stalin set back Soviet genetics decades when he support Lychenko and his socialist genetics. The Soviet work involved genetically engineered bacterial and viral pathogens. It is difficult to assess the Soviet motivationn for creating these weapons. Soviet officials and military leders were apparently convinced that the Uited states was developing similar wepons. It is unclear how they reached this conclusion other than America had the capability to do so. The Soviet biological weapons program was mssive, including ten of thousands of people. The program worked decades to develop new kinds of deadly pathogens, much more deadly than the pathogens concocted for World War I usage. While never use, the achievements of Soviet scientists were impressive. They included multiple-drug resistant anthrax and tularemia. Soviet scientis also produced 'stealth bugs' that eluded detection. They engineered bacterial with stealth characteristics. Thus they could elude detection. The idea was modify the bacterial so that standard medical tests would not detect it until the disease had reched an advanced stage. Here the scientists worked on the plague bacteria--Yersina pestis. The scientists worked on a form of Legionaire's disease. The tactic the scientists used was to gave the bacteria stimulate the imune system to mask symptoms. Ahnd aksi secrete a toxin attacking jmyelin--an importnt componentb of the nervous system, The impact was to create a condition similar tomultiple sclerosis, but with a rapid death. Despite the chievements, there were lapses in the program, especially the development of an effective delivery system. [Leitenberg and Zilinskas] This seems a strange failing. It mayv suggest that Soviet leaders were conflicted about just how tobuse their potent new weapons. The authors of the most detailed assessment of the Soviet program suggests that they may hve been thinking about sabotage or trrorism. [Leitenberg and Zilinskas]

American Role

Two researchers believe that CIA tactics played a role in the Soviet porogram. The CIA reportedly spread false stories after the United States ended its program (1969). That convinced Soviet officials that the United States had launched a major biological warfare program focusing on anthrax. They thus believe that the CIA stories were at least part of the reason that the Soviets launched such a massive program. [Leitenberg and Zilinskas] We can not yet conifrm this.

International Treaty (1972)

While the destruction of nuclear weapons in the United States and Soviet Union were carefully monitored, nothing like that occurred with the Soviet CBW stockpiles. The United States and the Soviet Union both signed an international treaty banning the production of biological weaoons (1972). The Soviet Union continued, however, researching and producing biological weaoins in secret, a flagrant violation of the Treaty. Russian President Borris Yeltsin after the disolution of the Sovie Union admitted to U.S. officials admitted the existence of the secret program. Since then journalists and former Soviet scientists (including defectors), and U.S. officials have publiched accounts of the Soviet program. It is very likely that all these deadly strains are still kept in the freezers of Russian military research laboratories today. [Leitenberg and Zilinskas]

Sverdlovsk/Ekaterinberg (1979)

There was a serious industrial accident at a bio-weaopons plant in Sverdlovsk (now Ekaterinberg) (1979). Deadly anthrx spores reach a residebtial area. There wer at least 68 deaths. The actual amount may have been much There were also reports that Soviet authorities placed thearea under Soviet military control and extensive decontamination efforts were begun. This was the most deadly anthrax epidemic ever known. Like the subsequent Kiev nuclear incident, Soviet authorities tried to cover it up. Details were, however, published in a German Russian language newspaper (1979). U.S. intelligence agencies looked at satellite imagery and signals intercepts from the spring of 1979 when the incident was believed to have taken place. They foun what looked like corroborative that something serious occurred at Sverdlovsk. There were roadblocks and decontamination trucks around Compound 19, a military installation in Sverdlovsk. [Wamplwe and and Blanton] Soviet Defense Minister Ustinov also visited the city. An intense controversy and heated exchanges between Washington and Moscow followed (1980s). The Americans wanted to know how this could have happened if the Soviets were observing the terms of the 1972 Treaty. The Soviets denined it all.

Accomplishments of Soviet Genetic Research

It is interesting to note that while American geneticists were mapping the humn genome and using genetics to develop new drugs and improved seeds to increase crop yields, virtually the only creation of Soviet geneticists were these terrible BW pathogens. Not only is there a moral dimensions to this, but also an economic dimension. Large number of Soviet scientist and technicians worked on this project which despite msssive spending and sucess, returned absolutely no benefit to the Soviet economy and people. There are many such examples. Wasting the country's considerable capabilities of technical and scientific establishment is of course one reason the Soviet Union failed.

Post-Soviet Russian Situation

Russian officials since the 1991 disolution of the Soviet Union have refused to release informationn about the BW weapons. American diplomats have made repeated requests, but they have gone unansered. Russian officials refused to grant access to three biolgical laboratories operated by the Russian Federation Ministry of Defense, All three wee part of the Soviet era BW program. It is widely believed that the BW microbes produced by Soviet scientists are wearhoused there. Nothing is known about security or the poosibility of continuing research.

Sources

Leitenberg, Milton and Raymond Zilinskas. The Soviet Biological Weapons Program (2012), 890p.

Wamplwe, Robert A. and and Thomas S. Blanton. "Anthtrax at Sverdlovsk, 1979: U.S. Intelligence on the deadliest modern outbreak," National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 61 (November 15, 2001).









HBC






Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Return to Main Soviet Cold War page]
[Return to Main Cold War CBW page]
[Return to Main Cold War page]
[Return to Main Communism page]
[Introduction] [Activities] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Clothing styles] [Countries]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [Glossaries] [Images] [Links] [Registration] [Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]





Created: 6:07 PM 6/7/2013
Last updated: 6:07 PM 6/7/2013