Summary

• Russia alleges that the US has expanded its biological military activities into Africa following Russia’s disruption of similar programs in Ukraine, citing evidence of Pentagon contractors and research in multiple African countries.

The Russian Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Protection Forces have revealed that the United States is expanding its biological military presence in Africa. Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, head of Russia’s Nuclear Protection Force, made this assertion on Tuesday, linking the increase to Russia’s cessation of similar biological programs in formerly occupied Ukrainian territories.

Kirillov’s statement suggests a potential escalation of biological military activities in Africa amid geopolitical tensions between Russia and the US. According to Kirillov, the Pentagon is reportedly relocating unfinished research from Ukrainian projects to other regions following Russia’s intervention in halting biological warfare programs in liberated Ukrainian territories.

He pointed to Africa as a new focus area for the US Defense Department and associated agencies, highlighting the presence of Pentagon contractors in several African countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Uganda, and South Africa.

Kirillov alleged that Washington uses external organizations, including Metabiota, Quicksilver, EcoHealth Alliance, and over 20 other companies, along with entities from the pharmaceutical industry, to obscure the nature of its research objectives.

According to Kirillov, Russia possesses documents confirming the rapid expansion of US biological warfare activities across the African continent. He cited specific instances of alleged US activities, such as a large-scale survey of hantavirus samples from bats in Kenya’s natural habitats by the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases in October 2023. Additionally, he mentioned a study conducted a year prior by US military biologists on the effects of anti-malarial drugs on local populations.

“In January 2024,” Kirillov stated, “officials from the Defense Department, State Department, and Department of Health and Human Services met with the heads of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Africa to discuss the continent’s laboratory capabilities.”

Kirillov concluded by asserting that Russia had acquired documents by the end of last year proving US research on bioweapon components and highly dangerous pathogens in Ukraine.