Is it true that the commander of the Russian chemical defense forces called mRNA vaccines a biological weapon?

In mid-March 2023, information circulated in the media that the head of the Russian Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Forces (RCBD), Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, accused the United States of saying that the mRNA vaccines being developed there are biological weapons. We decided to check whether the military leader really said this.

March 10 at largest Russian-speaking Media appeared statements Lieutenant General Kirillov at a briefing on how it was declared, “analysis of documents relating to US military-biological activities.” The military commander said that employees of the pharmaceutical company Pfizer acknowledge the fact of conducting research on “directed evolution”, and the vaccines they developed “can cause the development of concomitant diseases and serious complications: meningitis, anaphylactic shock, acute myocardial infarction, stroke.” Also citing the position of former Pfizer employee Karen Kingston, Kirillov said that mRNA vaccines "by definition are biological weapons, as US law defines a biological weapon as 'any biological agent, toxin or delivery device'."

It is quite simple to verify the fact that Igor Kirillov made the above statements. Posted on the TASS website video recording parts of the Ministry of Defense briefing, including the general's speech. However, his statements themselves raise doubts about their correctness. To understand them in more detail, you first need to understand what mRNA vaccines are and how they work.

Matrix ribonucleic acid (mRNA) is a single-stranded acid that carries information for the body about the structure of proteins. It is also called messenger RNA (mRNA). To understand the function of mRNA and its relationship with DNA, a common analogy is that of a factory floor. In this case, DNA is all the originals of all the drawings for the production of the necessary parts, stored by the production manager, and mRNA is a copy taken from them, issued to ordinary employees in production. Having the right mRNA, the body can produce the necessary proteins. In mRNA vaccines against coronavirus contained an artificially created copy of the virus envelope protein (spike protein). With her with help the body itself begins to produce a non-infectious spike protein, in response to which the body produces antibodies and memory cells to protect against SARS-CoV-2.

Beyond mRNA exists several more types of vaccines:

• live (against plague, anthrax, tularemia, brucellosis, influenza, rabies, mumps, smallpox, yellow fever, measles, polio, tuberculosis): contain weakened pathogens;
• killed or inactivated (against polio, influenza, typhus, cholera, plague, whooping cough, hemophilus influenzae): contain killed pathogens;
• toxoids (against diphtheria and tetanus): contain weakened toxins produced by the pathogen;
• subunit (against hepatitis B and human papillomavirus, as well as acellular pertussis vaccine): contain some proteins or sugars of the pathogen;
• vector (“Sputnik V”, Astra Zeneca): contain a safe transport virus and individual elements of the corresponding pathogen.

All of these types of vaccines do contain some kind of “biological agent, toxin or delivery device” that Kirillov spoke about. mRNA vaccines are the only type that doesn't have it. That is, according to the classification of the Russian military leader, it is Sputnik V that should be classified as a biological weapon, and not Comirnaty (the trade name of the mRNA vaccine produced by Pfizer / BioNTech). It is interesting that Kirillov, according to his own words, took an active part in the development of the Russian vaccine. Also in the journal “Biopreparations. Prevention, diagnosis, treatment" was published in 2022 article commander of the RKhBZ troops entitled “Study of the immunogenicity of the Gam-COVID-Vac vaccine (another name for Sputnik V. - Ed.).”

At the same time, the wording used by Kirillov defining biological weapons could not be found in US legislation. IN Convention UN on biological weapons, ratified including the United States, there is no express definition, there is only an obligation “never, under any circumstances, to develop, produce, stockpile, otherwise acquire or retain microbiological or other biological agents or toxins, whatever their origin or method of production, of types and in such quantities that are not intended for prophylactic, protective or other peaceful purposes.” Moreover, outside the text of this UN document gives This definition is: “Biological weapons are the spread of disease-causing organisms or toxins to harm or kill people, animals or plants.” In turn, WHO defines this type of weapon: “Biological and toxin weapons are either microorganisms, such as viruses, bacteria or fungi, or toxic substances produced by living organisms that are produced and released intentionally to cause illness and death in humans, animals or plants.” In both formulations and in Kirillov, biological agents, toxins, and even delivery devices are listed, but the lieutenant general misses an important part of the definition, namely, the intentionality of distribution and potential lethality.

Separately, Kirillov focuses on the seriousness of complications that arise after vaccination with Comirnaty. In particular, he mentions meningitis, anaphylactic shock, acute myocardial infarction and stroke. IN Media really meet messages that after After vaccination, people developed such pathologies. However, firstly, “after” does not mean “as a result”, and secondly, these are messages in the media, and not in authoritative scientific sources. Let's look at each pathology in detail.

Meningitis is inflammation membranes of the brain and spinal cord. Based on the reason for its occurrence, it is divided into bacterial, viral, fungal, protozoal and, in some cases, caused by non-infectious conditions. IN database scientific biomedical publications PubMed Can discover some descriptions cases aseptic (i.e. non-infectious) meningitis after vaccination with Comirnaty. At the same time, researchers are careful in their formulations and, noting the rarity of such manifestations, writethat the connection between vaccination and the disease cannot be clearly proven. IN list vaccine complications published by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), meningitis is not listed.

Anaphylactic shock is an acute, life-threatening allergic reaction reaction immediate type, which can be caused by drugs, immune serums, iodine-containing radiopaque substances, drugs for local and general anesthesia, poisons of animals and plants, and many foods. Unfortunately, any vaccine can cause anaphylactic shock. For example, the Union of Pediatricians of Russia leads data on possible complications when using vaccines from the National Calendar of Preventive Vaccinations: there is a small probability of developing such a reaction after AKDS/ADS-M, vaccination against hepatitis B, pneumococcal infection, measles, rubella, mumps, human papillomavirus. The instructions for the Sputnik V vaccine also contained a warning that very rarely the vaccine can cause anaphylactic shock. In order to promptly stop this dangerous complication after vaccination, the patient is usually asked to sit for 15–20 minutes under the supervision of a medical professional.

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a myocardial necrosis as a result of severe obstruction of the coronary artery. This is just one of many cardiovascular pathologies. At the same time, they most often talk about the connection between vaccination and other cardiac diseases - pericarditis And myocarditis (inflammatory lesion of the serous membrane or heart muscle). Indeed, mRNA vaccines can lead to complications such as instructions Comirnaty indicated this, but their frequency is minimal compared to the frequency of complications from the coronavirus infection itself. It is important to note that most statements about the critical increase in these pathologies usually introduce readers in delusion. Regarding AMI and stroke, in December 2022 it was widely stated that these pathologies are more likely to occur in people after vaccination. Fact checkers from the Associated Press checked it and came to the conclusion that it is incorrect. Monitoring more than 10 million Americans showedthat the incidence of AMI and stroke did not increase after vaccination.

It is noteworthy who Kirillov refers to in his statement when speaking about the dangers of mRNA vaccines. The first name, Jordon Trishton Walker, is already known to regular readers of Verified. In February we published a large material, in which a video of his participation was dismantled, where Walker, presented as a high-ranking Pfizer employee, allegedly talks about the dangers of the vaccine developed by the company. The main thing we managed to find out:

• a video filmed on a hidden camera was published by the conspiracy resource Project Veritas, already known for its anti-vaccine statements;
• Another popular conspiracy theorist Robert Malone, who promoted the treatment of coronavirus with ivermectin, a veterinary antiparasitic drug, comments on Walker’s words. not having proven antiviral activity and not intended for human use;
• Walker is not the director of research at Pfizer, but a urologist, that is, he has no relation to virology and vaccine development;
• Walker himself, after learning that he was being filmed, said that he had made up the whole story to impress his interlocutor, because he thought that he was not at an interview, but on a date.

Nevertheless, Kirillov did conclusion, that "Pfizer employees acknowledge that they are conducting 'directed evolution' research to achieve competitive advantage and increase profits." In our material About Walker, we examined in detail what directed evolution and research aimed at enhancing functions are. For many ordinary people, these concepts cause fear, but the point is a clash between everyday perception and scientific terminology. In fact, despite the scary name, research aimed at enhancing the function of the virus and directed evolution is not an attempt to kill the entire population of the Earth, but a way to study the virus, determine the optimal direction for developing vaccines and actions to reduce its lethality. Following Walker's statements, Pfizer published on its official website, a statement in which it said that it does not conduct research aimed at enhancing the functions of COVID-19, as well as experiments on the directed evolution of the virus: “The original SARS-CoV-2 virus was used to express the spike protein from new variants of concern” (VoC). The pharmaceutical company emphasizes that “this study gave us the opportunity to quickly assess the ability of the existing vaccine to induce antibodies that neutralize the recently identified variant of concern.” In addition, Pfizer is conducting in vitro studies to identify potential resistance mutations in nirmatrelvir, one of two components of the coronavirus drug Paxlovid (approved by the FDA in 2021). Much of this work is carried out using computer modeling or mutations of the 3C-like (also known as chymotrypsin-like, or, as they say in Russian-language publications, the main) protease, the non-infectious part of the virus. So Kirillov's statement about directed evolution is based on the words of an unreliable source and contradicts the Pfizer statement. Moreover, directed evolution is a scientifically recognized way to study the virus in order to develop means to combat it.

The second name mentioned by Kirillov is Karen Kingston, “Verified” has not written about her before, so let’s look at the biography of this woman in more detail. On her LinkedIn profile she indicates, who worked for Pfizer from 1996 to 1998, but the first attempts to develop a vaccine using mRNA technology happened much later. Kingston rose to fame in 2021 when she recorded video, which said that mRNA vaccines from Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna contain toxic graphene oxide. All kinds fakes about oxide graphene fact checkers sorted it out many times and even tracked like this story spread around the world via social networks.

At the same time, Kingston is not the primary source of the fake news about graphene oxide. In June 2021, a certain Ricardo Delgado, author anti-vaccine Telegram channel, handed over a bottle to a group of researchers called “Fifth Column” from the University of Almeria (Spain), which he claimed contained the Comirnaty vaccine. What was in that bottle is not known for certain, just as it is not known what kind of researchers they were. Then Delgado published the text of a certain report on his resources - it was in it that for the first time it was stated that graphene oxide was discovered in the vaccine. In turn, the University of Almeria stated, that his staff did not conduct any research, so it is still unclear who the author of that report was and whether he had any scientific qualifications. 

It is by referring to Kingston that Kirillov says that vaccines are considered by American law as biological weapons. However, a lone conspiracy theorist cannot be a reliable source, and in the definition itself, as we found out earlier, the lieutenant general made significant inaccuracies.

However, mRNA technology is used not only by Pfizer. Even before the pandemic, the scientific community was looking for This technology is a breakthrough in cancer treatment. In 2020, researchers from the Vector center (Novosibirsk) called mRNA technology is one of the most promising platforms for creating vaccines against coronavirus. In 2021 media reportedthat mRNA vaccines are being developed in scientific centers of the Novosibirsk Akademgorodok and the science city of Koltsovo. In September 2022, Deputy General Director for Scientific and Production Work of the State Scientific Center “Vector” Elena Nechaeva told TASS that such a vaccine is under development, in particular, at that moment there was a “selection of technology and control methods.” So the technology as a whole is being used in various scientific centers, including in Russia. 

Thus, a high-ranking official of the Russian Ministry of Defense, who, according to him, took part in the development of vaccines, based on the words of conspiracy theorists, makes statements that mislead people. Fear of the consequences of vaccination and misunderstanding of the principles of how vaccines work leads to a decrease in population immunity and negatively affects public health. Especially when unverified data about vaccines and bioweapons is read by a person whose position assumes responsibility for responding to the actual use of bioweapons. At the same time, the reliability of the fact that Kirillov said this is beyond doubt, since no state information resources dispute this, and the briefing itself was recorded on video.

Cover image: Image by Spencer Davis from Pixabay

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