Russia’s bioweapons legacy and the plague scare

  • Mon, October 19, 2026 • 3:30 pm ET
  • Virtual Event

The Eurasia Center and Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense explore Russia’s recent plague scare and the country’s biological weapons program.

On Monday, October 19, at 3:30 p.m. ET, the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center and Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense will host a discussion examining the death of an employee at an anti-plague laboratory in Russia, in the context of the country’s offensive biological weapons program.

The mysterious death of an employee at Russia’s Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute has raised international concern over a potential plague outbreak, prompting Russian authorities to quarantine hundreds of contacts. The incident takes on added significance given Russia’s history of weaponizing plague and deadly laboratory accidents. Although the Soviet Union signed the Biological Weapons Convention in 1972, Russia’s offensive biological weapons program never ended, and military-linked laboratories are expanding today.

This conversation will explore the latest on the Siberian lab incident and Russia’s biological research and military-linked capabilities.

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Speakers

Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley
Associate Professor, Biodefense Graduate Program,
George Mason Universtiy

Kevin Esvelt
Associate Professor,
MIT Media Lab;
Director,
Sculpting Evolution Group

Gregory Koblentz
Associate Professor and Director, Biodefense Graduate Program,
George Mason Universtiy

Moderated by

Amb. John Herbst
Senior Director, Eurasia Center,
Atlantic Council

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The Eurasia Center’s mission is to promote policies that strengthen stability, democratic values, and prosperity in Eurasia, from Eastern Europe in the West to the Caucasus, Russia, and Central Asia in the East.

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The Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense at the Atlantic Council provides a comprehensive assessment of the state of US biodefense and recommends changes to policy and law that strengthen national biodefense while optimizing biodefense resources.

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