MOSCOW and WASHINGTON \u2014 On Oct. 30, a meeting in the Kremlin of the Russian Presidential Commission on Human Rights took a strange turn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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 \u2014 sparking a wave of speculation that the West is preparing an anti-Russian bioweapon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDo you know that biological material is collected all over the country, from different ethnic groups and people living in different geographical locations of Russia?\u201d Putin said. \u201cBut 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Putin\u2019s 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 \u2014 not that it stopped Russian parliamentarians from running with the idea, calling for legislation to enact \u201cbiological security\u201d measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And that could have been it, except the Kremlin itself doubled down on the comments the next day, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling the Interfax news agency that, \u201cin fact, some emissaries, representatives of NGOs [nongovernmental organizations] and other bodies are carrying out this sort of activity. Such cases have been recorded by the security service and, of course, the president has this information.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So why are top Russian officials declaring that the U.S. intends to develop a bioweapon to drop on Moscow? The answer appears to be a weird mix of a mysterious U.S. Air Force solicitation and the machinations of Moscow\u2019s own state-backed propaganda machine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Feedback loop<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The story behind Putin\u2019s comments seem to trace their roots to reports by Russia Today\u2019s Russian-language service, and other local outlets, in July. And it all began with a thinly worded tender posted by the U.S. Air Force\u2019s largest medical research outfit, the 59th Medical Wing, on the government\u2019s Federal Business Opportunities clearinghouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The tender called for the collection of \u201csynovial tissue and RNA samples\u201d from caucasians \u2014 a designation that has thrown the Russians for a loop \u2014 in Russia. The tender didn\u2019t specify what the samples were intended for, but Russian journalists noticed the researchers \u201cwill not consider tissue samples from Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That specificity set off the Russian media outlets, with some speculating that the West was developing a biological weapon specifically targeting the bodies of genetic Russians while leaving Ukrainians unharmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But as far as Russian propaganda pushes go, it was short-lived. The U.S. Air Force tender quickly faded from Russian radars. In fact, most Russian outlets seem to have forgotten the July episode entirely when talking about Putin\u2019s recent comments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But in a country where many of the talking heads and political figures look toward Putin to signal talking points, Russian parliamentarians ran with the idea of clandestine foreign efforts to collect Russian biological samples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Facebook, Sen. Franz Klintsevich, the deputy head of the Federation Council\u2019s defense committee, wrote: \u201cI am not saying this is directly related to the preparation of biological warfare against Russia … but this scenario is undoubtedly being developed. … The relevant services in the West should know we are aware of their interest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Klintsevich was outshined by Gennady Onishchenko, a deputy in the lower house of parliament (the State Duma), who called for the body to draft by December \u201cbiological security\u201d legislation restricting access of foreign NGOs and companies to Russian DNA. He noted that labs in Russia send biological information abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe fact that our citizens\u2019 fluids, organs and tissues are being collected is evidence that the US has not stopped its aggressive military programme,\u201d Onishchenko was quoted by the BBC as saying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Russian social media users were perhaps less impressed, responding to Putin\u2019s speech with a variety of memes riffing off the scatological potential of \u201cbiomatter.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In one, a guilty looking cat appears next to the caption \u201cPutin said biological material is being collected all over the country but he doesn\u2019t know why.\u201d In a second, a picture of a homeless man is accompanied by \u201cSome force is collecting the biomaterial of Russians.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n