Putin and biomaterials

A play with the participation of the president, special services, the Pentagon, “military experts”, scientists and journalists

The first action. The president’s question

On October 30, 2017, at a meeting of the Human Rights Council, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed concern about the collection of samples of the biological material of Russians. Moreover, this was said after a more strange speech by the director of the Russian Public Institute of Electoral Law, Igor Borisov , concerned about the “collection of images of Russian citizens with unknown goals” using a video surveillance system in polling stations.

The president was not led to the collections of “images” and transferred the arrows to “samples”: “Images, that's okay. Do you know that biological material is collected throughout the country? Moreover, according to various ethnic groups and people living in different geographical points of the Russian Federation. This is the question - why do they do this? Do purposefully and professionally. We are such an object of very great interest. ” The words "biological material" were said with pressure, which inevitably made them a phrase of the week. The word "foreigners" did not sound, but it was implied. This statement also had a continuation: “Of course, you need to treat this without any fear: let them do what they want. But we must do what we must. ” By the way, the next day, Dmitry Peskov in the Vesti program explained that Putin received this information from the special services [1].

On the same day, the president’s words scattered across the media: according to the Yandex.NOSTI service, 79 publications appeared in three and a half hours. Everyone quoted the first part of the statement, but for some reason not everyone quoted the second part at all (about what was needed without fear). They somehow forgot about it, and it was fear that became the dominant emotion in most news. The ominous image of “ethnic weapons” painted (and why else did they need our genes?). But, as it turned out, the idea did not arise now - the prologue to this play happened three months ago, at the end of July.

Prologue. American tender

Then, in the material of Russia Today, information about the tender posted on the website of American public procurement was published [2]. The tender was initiated by the US Air Force, and it concerned the purchase of 12 RNA samples and 27 samples of synovial fluid from European origin from Russia. RT journalists, according to them, did not receive explanations about the purpose of the procurement, began to collect expert comments. Scientists - Professor Skoltha and University of Ratger Konstantin Severinov and Dokt. Biol. Sciences Sergey Kiselev -explained that samples are obviously needed for scientific medical research.

But another expert appears on the stage, Igor Nikulin (according to him, a former member of the UN Commission on Biological and Chemical Weapons), who is sure that the purpose of the purchase is the development of new types of biological weapons: “Most likely, it can be military viruses. The United States is trying to develop various types of biological weapons precisely under specific carriers of the gene pool, and Caucasians are needed, since they make up the majority of the population of our country. This is the same focus group to which they are trying to choose the keys. It is necessary that the viruses act selectively - on certain national groups. Partially, this problem was solved by the American program “Human Gene”. She, too, was largely funded by the Pentagon. ”

What is known about Igor Nikulin? His biography on the Internet begins with a proud statement that he is Rurikovich. He worked in the All -Russian Research Institute of Applied Microbiology in Obolensk (in Soviet times it was a strictly classified institution). Among his scientific discoveries, the version that the HIV virus is military development. Then he went into politics, but does not refuse the idea of ​​“battle viruses”.

In July, biological weapons were also said in the material of RIA Novosti, the author of which is Alexander Khlenko , a war veteran who became a observer at RIA Novosti [3]. However, it is not surprising that the former military has a special look and a tendency to see the threat in any phenomenon.

The second action. The genie of "ethnic weapons" was released from the bottle

In fact, it is not entirely clear whether Putin’s current words are connected with information about the American tender of three -month ago - there are too many discrepancies in details (a small number of samples, and only among the Caucasians, does not join with the words about the mass examination of different ethnic groups). Apparently, for the first time this connection was mentioned in the message of the Interfax agency on October 30; At least many refer to him. But most likely, this in RT remembered their July material.

Ignoring inconsistencies, the vast majority of the media enthusiastically grabbed for this connection and caught up with a wave in the spirit of the Cold War with imperialism. In the plots of federal television channels, the ghost of "ethnic weapons" aimed at the inhabitants of Russia gained flesh and blood. At the same time, the television programs were also invited by scientists, they were directly in abuse, but their voices were drowned in the choir of other “experts”. Scientists were asked, but they did not want to hear answers. Paper and Internet media were very clearly divided into two camps: only “ethnic weapons” and nothing else were interested in some, while others tried to figure out how biologists and doctors with “biomaterial” really work.

Meanwhile, Igor Nikulin continues the “Circus of Nikulin” (the name of the analytical note on the site “Media-zone” [4]) and actively gives comments on the TV channels and the print media. He explains how the “biological weapon of the next generation” is arranged: if you integrate the marker of a certain ethnic group into viruses, then it will act only on it. And he calls to pay attention to the biomedical laboratories that take blood for analysis: “... if this organization is foreign, then no one knows what they do with the results” [5].

But there is another source of Alarism, which many remembered in this story - this is Mikhail Kovalchuk , who, back in 2015, warned of danger in his speech: “... in fact, one cell that has a genetic code and is self -developing is a weapon of mass defeat. Moreover, thanks to the achievements of modern genetics, you can create this cell ethnogenetically focused on a particular ethnic group: it can be safe for one ethnic group and harmful, deadly for the other ” [6]. This says, for a minute, not a former military man, but a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the head of one of the largest scientific institutions in Russia.

Oddly enough, comments in this vein come from members of the scientific community. Here is a doct. Biol. Sciences Sergey Saveliev (who, however, in the scientific environment, a strongly soaked reputation) on the radio “says Moscow”: “It is designed to distinguish some DNA fragments that organize viral infections that will be connected and beat exactly specifically in one or another ethnic groups. That is, to kill purposefully. They say that such “little things” can be prepared even individually ” [7]. It should be noted that Savelyev has never been a geneticist, although he is willingly invites him as an expert, where he develops a conspiracy scenario: “I think that it is now released for public viewing is actually a cover operation. I think so they simply report that they did such things and are ready to apply them. Without getting weapons, they show that they are ready ” [8].

The third action. The word of scientists

Bioinformatics doct. Biol. Sciences Mikhail Gelfand , probably, was the first to respond to the situation on his Facebook, and in an interview with the National News Service [9] said that “someone was very deceiving Vladimir Putin,” because, according to the information that is in the tender, not all ethnic groups, but only Russians are needed. And he explained that, judging by this information, we are talking about genetic markers of joint diseases. “About genetic weapons are some kind of disgusting lie. There is no such weapon. People are too similar to each other so that you can create a specific weapon against some kind of race, ” said the NSN Gelfand. In an interview with Novaya Gazeta, he called these speculations “biological obscurantism” [10].

Genetics did not stand aside. In the print media, on the radio and television, comments of Biol, comments. Oleg Balanovsky’s sciences, specialist in population genetics and genogeography, that is, one of those who really collect genetic material throughout the country and in different ethnic groups: “Such studies are conducted massively a great many Russian scientists, conducted on state Russian money within the framework of developments for medicine and studying the history of peoples” (interviews at Echo of Moscow). Moreover, these studies are conducted in our country. And in the article published on the website of RBC, Balanovsky cites four reasons for which there is no danger and export of samples from Russia:

"1. There are no genes that most inhabitants of our country would have, but were completely absent in other countries. <...>

2. Russian populations that make up the majority of the population of our country, in the vast majority of genes differ little from the inhabitants of Europe. <...>

3. Millions of samples took themselves out during the waves of emigration from Russia and now abound in both the USA and in Europe. <...>

4. Genomes of hundreds of representatives of the peoples of Russia have been studied for several years, published in scientific articles, and these data are freely available to any Internet user ” [11].

Oleg Balanovsky shared his experience with some journalists: “After the president’s words, the crew of one of the federal channels came to me. The first thing was asked: “Is it possible to create an ethnic weapon?” I replied: “Even theoretically, it is impossible.” The second question was: “Who and how does it create it?” ” (This is what scientists are asked, but do not hear - N. M.)

“There are a lot of Russians, there are a lot of them, why collect their biomaterials? It is fundamentally impossible to create a genetic weapon against Russians on this basis because the technique is poorly developed, but because nature is so arranged, ” the doct emphasized. Biol. Sciences Svetlana Borinskaya in a commentary to Gazeta.ru. -There is no such sign that only Russians have and no one has nearby-with Belarusians, Ukrainians, Moldavians or someone else. There are no local signs, they must have neighbors ” [12].

In the comments to the “Indicator”, she brought such an argument: “Here the Chinese can not tolerate milk, and if the Chinese army is drunk with milk, it will not be able to get up for half a day. It would seem, what is not a weapon? But this is impossible to use. The fact is that numerous peoples do not have such genetic features that would distinguish only one ethnic group and were absent in others. If among the Chinese people with lactose intolerance are about 98%, among the Russians there will be 35-40%, and even if we make a weapon that will kill on this basis, it will kill not only the enemy, but also a third of our surrounding ” [13].

Fourth action. Officials

Gennady Onishchenko , a former chief state sanitary doctor of Russia, and now deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Education and Science, could not help but respond to such a bright informational occasion. “Today we are already talking not about biological weapons, but about genetic weapons, because today the decoding of the genome gives great opportunities. It leads humanity to a fundamentally new level of development, on the one hand, and on the other, there is a threat of deliberate harm, including with military purposes, ”he told RIA Novosti [14].

In his further comments, Onishchenko especially took up arms against Invitro, for some reason calling it a foreign laboratory, which was allowed “to the most secret” that “posed a threat to the country”. “I repeatedly paid the attention of the special services that it was necessary to stop it or take serious control,” he said on the air of the Russia 1 television channel. True, the owner of Invitro Alexander Ostrovsky not only denied Onishchenko’s words, but also thanked that for advertising.

The action is fifth. Pentagon's explanation

All this was said and written in two days, on October 30 and 31. On November 1, explanations from the Pentagon about the tender appeared in the media. The collection of the biological material of Russians is associated with the study of the musculoskeletal system and was not intentional, the representative of the US Air Force (AETC) of the US Air Force Bo Downey (Bo Download) told RIA Novosti.

This study is engaged in the Center for Molecular Research by the 59th Medical Air Group "To identify various biomarkers associated with injuries." According to Dauni, the research required two sets of samples: with diseases and control samples of RNA and synovial tissue. The first batch of samples was by origin from Russia, so the next was also supposed to be from Russia. “The task is the integrity of the study, not the origin of [samples],” Dauni explained (I quote in RBC [15]).

But the explanations did not arrange everyone. Onishchenko called the Pentagon's explanations “clumsy legend”, which he covers his true goals [16]. Therefore, he called for the speedy adoption of a law that would not give the valuable biological material of Russians to leak abroad: “Today we should create modern legislation, the law on biological security for our country, the law on the collections of microorganisms, which is being developed in the government today and should be submitted to the State Duma in December.”

... and other officials

The head of Rospotrebnadzor Anna Popova , who announced the need for state regulation of work with human biological materials, is also in solidarity. “This problem exists in different countries, it costs quite sharply everywhere, and it requires national regulation on the actions of clinical and diagnostic laboratories and all laboratories, all institutions that work with human biological materials,” she said to RIA Novosti [17].

It is amazing that the leadership of the Ministry of Health bypassed the problem with silence. Although the chief freelance specialist of the Ministry of Health in medical genetics, director of the medical and genetic scientific center, Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Sergey Kutsev , said quite definitely. “There are numerous international studies, there are clinical trials of drugs ,” he said at a press conference at the MSNC. - It is very important for us to convey to the public that these studies should be preserved, that they do not pose any danger. Moreover, if they are discontinued in one way or another, this can cause irreparable damage to both science and practical health care. ” - And he emphasized: " In the genetic information that we study when we talk about a particular ethnic group, there is no danger." “The myth that the biomaterial of the inhabitants of Russia will create“ ethnic weapons ”against them from the field of unscientific fiction,” the press release said in his statement.

But I had to explain to the head of the Ministry of Health of the Murmansk Region Valery Peretrukhin in the story “On the export of biomaterials of Russians to Norway”, which was excavated by the media. 430 saliva samples were taken from drivers as part of a joint study of alcohol and other substances with Norway. Saliva samples were indeed transported by Norwegian specialists for analysis (and in the Ministry of Health the documents were incorrectly issued and, as they say, paid a fine) [18].

Epilogue (?). Law

The last (or not the last, but very important) act of this play should be a law on biological security, which, most likely, will be included in the Duma before the New Year. One can only guess how legislators understand biological security. The content of the impending law has not yet commented on. But the fact that he will have a prohibitive character is clear as two two, so experts do not expect anything good from him.

And it seems that scientists and medical genetics - those who really work with biological samples turned out to be on one side of the barricades, and on the other - not only dubious experts, but also quite influential public individuals. Who will the authorities listen to in such a situation?

Nadezhda Markina,
cand. Biol. sciences, scientific journalist