Skip to content
Longterm Wiki
Back

The History of Anthrax Weaponization in the Soviet Union

government

Authors

Ioannis Nikolakakis·Spyros N Michaleas·George Panayiotakopoulos·Theodore G Papaioannou·Marianna Karamanou

Credibility Rating

4/5
High(4)

High quality. Established institution or organization with editorial oversight and accountability.

Rating inherited from publication venue: PubMed Central

Historical analysis of Soviet bioweapon development programs that examines dual-use research and the relationship between offensive bioweapon development and civilian applications, relevant to understanding biosecurity risks and historical precedents for AI safety governance.

Paper Details

Citations
6
Year
2023
Methodology
peer-reviewed
Categories
Cureus

Metadata

journal articleanalysis

Summary

This historical paper examines the Soviet Union's anthrax weaponization program and its broader implications for biowarfare research and public health. The authors document how Soviet bioweapon development, particularly through the Biopreparat program, led to technological advances including the creation of the first Soviet anthrax vaccine and mass vaccination campaigns for animals and humans. The paper argues that while some biowarfare technologies were repurposed for civilian public health benefits, the legacy of Soviet bioweapons development continues to pose asymmetric threats to contemporary public health and security.

Cited by 1 page

PageTypeQuality
Bioweapons RiskRisk91.0

Cached Content Preview

HTTP 200Fetched Mar 15, 202627 KB
The History of Anthrax Weaponization in the Soviet Union - PMC
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 Skip to main content
 

 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 Official websites use .gov 
 

 A
 .gov website belongs to an official
 government organization in the United States.
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
 Secure .gov websites use HTTPS 
 

 A lock (
 
 
 Lock 
 
 Locked padlock icon
 
 
 
 ) or https:// means you've safely
 connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive
 information only on official, secure websites.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 Search PMC Full-Text Archive 
 
 
 
 
 Search in PMC 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Journal List
 
 
 

 
 
 
 User Guide
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 

 
 

 
 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 PERMALINK

 
 
 
 
 Copy 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 As a library, NLM provides access to scientific literature. Inclusion in an NLM database does not imply endorsement of, or agreement with,
 the contents by NLM or the National Institutes of Health.

 Learn more:
 PMC Disclaimer 
 |
 
 PMC Copyright Notice
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 Cureus . 2023 Mar 28;15(3):e36800. doi: 10.7759/cureus.36800 
 
 
 The History of Anthrax Weaponization in the Soviet Union

 
 Ioannis Nikolakakis 
 Ioannis Nikolakakis 

 
 1 
Department of History of Medicine and Medical Ethics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens, GRC 
 Find articles by Ioannis Nikolakakis 
 
 
 1 , Spyros N Michaleas 
 Spyros N Michaleas 

 
 1 
Department of History of Medicine and Medical Ethics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens, GRC 
 Find articles by Spyros N Michaleas 
 
 
 1, ✉ , George Panayiotakopoulos 
 George Panayiotakopoulos 

 
 2 
Department of Pharmacology, University of Patras, School of Medicine, Patra, GRC 
 Find articles by George Panayiotakopoulos 
 
 
 2 , Theodore G Papaioannou 
 Theodore G Papaioannou 

 
 1 
Department of History of Medicine and Medical Ethics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens, GRC 
 Find articles by Theodore G Papaioannou 
 
 
 1 , Marianna Karamanou 
 Marianna Karamanou 

 
 1 
Department of History of Medicine and Medical Ethics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens, GRC 
 Find articles by Marianna Karamanou 
 
 
 1 
 
 Editors: Alexander Muacevic , John R Adler 
 
 
 Author information 

 Article notes 

 Copyright and License information 

 
 
 
 
 1 
Department of History of Medicine and Medical Ethics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens, GRC 
 
 2 
Department of Pharmacology, University of Patras, School of Medicine, Patra, GRC 
 
 
 ✉ 
Spyros N. Michaleas ericmc@otenet.gr 

 
 
 ✉ Corresponding author.

 
 
 
 Accepted 2023 Mar 25; Collection date 2023 Mar.

 
 
 C

... (truncated, 27 KB total)
Resource ID: 2e37589bf4cafca7 | Stable ID: MDVjNjE3ZW