Biosecurity

How a Pentagon research project convinced Vladimir Putin of a coming biowar

On Oct. 30, a meeting in the Kremlin of the Russian Presidential Commission on Human Rights took a strange turn.
During the event, a member of the commission raised the alarm on foreigners observing Russian polling station live streams. In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin seemed to radically up the ante — sparking a wave of speculation that the West is preparing an anti-Russian bioweapon.
“Do you know that biological material is collected all over the country, from different ethnic groups and people living in different geographical locations of Russia?” Putin said. “But what for? They do do it purposefully and professionally. ... We need to treat it without fear. Let them do it, and we must do what we must.”
Putin’s remarks left many observers scratching their heads, with Russian social media users quickly spinning the alleged clandestine collection of Russian biological material into a hit meme. Presented without context, it was unclear what exactly Putin was talking about — not that it stopped Russian parliamentarians from running with the idea, calling for legislation to enact “biological security” measures.