Biopreparat
The medical advances which facilitate our resistance to existing viruses have spurred a progressive viral resistance to our medical arsenal. Some wonder how long the advance of medicine will be able to keep up with the advance of viral malignancy. Yet, there are more ominous medical threats...
Biopreparat was the name of the Soviet Union's secret biological weapons program. I've been disseminating information regarding this for years in hopes of raising public awareness about it. I believe that the apocalypse which will annihilate mankind will arrive in the form of a virus, and that Biopreparat signals an eminent threat of this.
Dr. Kenneth Alibek is the chief witness and highest ranking defector from Russia to testify on the issue of Biopreparat.
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Q & A with Dr. Ken Alibek
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TESTIMONY OF DR. KENNETH ALIBEK
The medical advances which facilitate our resistance to existing viruses have spurred a progressive viral resistance to our medical arsenal. Some wonder how long the advance of medicine will be able to keep up with the advance of viral malignancy. Yet, there are more ominous medical threats...
Smallpox
Smallpox was responsible for an estimated 300-500 million deaths in the 20th century. As recently as 1967, The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 15 million people contracted the disease and that two million died in that year.
After successful vaccination campaigns, the WHO in 1979 declared the eradication of smallpox, though cultures of the virus are kept by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States and at the Institute of Virus Preparations in Siberia, Russia.
Biopreparat was the name of the Soviet Union's secret biological weapons program. I've been disseminating information regarding this for years in hopes of raising public awareness about it. I believe that the apocalypse which will annihilate mankind will arrive in the form of a virus, and that Biopreparat signals an eminent threat of this.
Dr. Kenneth Alibek is the chief witness and highest ranking defector from Russia to testify on the issue of Biopreparat.
_____________________________________________________________
Q & A with Dr. Ken Alibek
"This is an interview with former Soviet Colonel and doctor Kanatjan Alibekov, now known as Ken Alibek. Dr. Alibek was the 1st Deputy Chief of the secret Soviet germ warfare program, Biopreparat, from 1988 to 1992. In 1992, Dr. Alibek defected to the United States and has since spent his time briefing U.S. military, intelligence, and medical officials about biological weapons and defenses. Dr. Alibek holds both M.D. and PhD. degrees.
EmergencyNet: To your knowledge, did the former Soviet work on genetic engineering or altering of the properties of "standard" biological agents used for weapons?
Alibek: The Soviet Union has developed genetically altered antibiotic resistant strains of anthrax, plague, tularemia, and glanders. New biological weapons (lab prototypes and pilot-plant techniques) have been developed on a basis of genetically altered plague, anthrax and tularemia. This country was intensively researching way to genetically alter some viruses. For example, for years it was researching the ways to genetically alter variola major (smallpox virus) by inserting some new genes in this virus genome.
EmergencyNet: Do you believe that former Soviet scientists, unpaid for many months and familiar with bio-weapon technology, are currently working in the so-called "rogue states" such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Sudan, Yemen, Africa, etc.??
Alibek: Yes, I do. There is some information about this.
EmergencyNet: Do you believe that non-state actors (terrorists) could/have attained possession of former Soviet chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons?
Alibek: It is highly probable.
EmergencyNet: If you had to pick one (1) bio-weapon for an terrorist attack on the USA, based on former Soviet doctrine, which one would you chose?
Alibek: Smallpox or Plague.
EmergencyNet: How effective do you feel that vaccination or inoculation programs could be against potential WMD attacks on a civilian population within the United States? Vaccinations for military/emergency responders?
Alibek: It is not a way to solve this problem."
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TESTIMONY OF DR. KENNETH ALIBEK
To the best of my knowledge, the Soviet Union and Russia have not exported actual strains of microorganisms. There are other types of biological weapons proliferation that are of greater concern.
The first involves experienced scientists traveling or moving abroad. For example, there have been unconfirmed reports that scientists from the Kirov facility visited North Korea in the early 1990s. In addition, numerous scientists who used to work for the Soviet biological weapons program are now living abroad. Many of these scientists live in the West, but others have gone to Iran and other countries where their expertise can be put to nefarious use in state-run biological weapons programs.
A second type of proliferation involves scientists from other countries being brought to the proliferating country for training in biotechnology, microbiology, and genetic engineering techniques. For years Moscow State University provided such training to scientists from dozens of countries, including Cuba, North Korea, Eastern Bloc nations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Libya.
A third form of proliferation involves private companies selling scientific expertise. For instance, I have a flier from a company that advertises recombinant Francisella tularensis bacteria with altered virulence genes. Ostensibly, these organisms are being offered for vaccine production; the flier also notes that they can be used as genetic recipients and to create recombinant microorganisms of biologically active agents. The authors of the flier also express willingness to form cooperative ventures to which they will contribute their genetic engineering knowledge. The director of this company used to work for the USSR’s biological weapons program.
A fourth type of proliferation occurs when the proliferating country sells equipment that can be used in biological weapons production. Such equipment is generally termed “dual-use”, as it can be used for legitimate biotechnology production and for biological weapons production. An example of such proliferation is the planned sale by Russia of large fermenters to Iraq after the Persian Gulf War. Fortunately, the sale was not completed. I have no doubt that these fermenters were destined for use in biological weapons production. First of all, Iraq has used the guise of single-cell protein production as a cover for biological weapons facilities in the past. Second, the particular fermenter size involved in this proposed sale would not be suitable for efficient single-cell protein production. In fact, the resultant product would be prohibitively expensive. Similarly, in 1990, Biopreparat was negotiating the sale of dual-use equipment to Cuba as well.
The fifth kind of proliferation consists of published scientific literature. Just by reading scientific literature published in Russia in the last few years, a biological weapons developer could learn techniques to genetically engineer vaccinia virus and then transfer the results to smallpox; to create antibiotic-resistant strains of anthrax, plague, and glanders; and to mass-produce the Marburg and Machupo viruses. Billions of dollars that the Soviet Union and Russia put into biotechnology research are available to anyone for the cost of a translator.