Africa has become a focal point of interest for the US government, which views the region as an unlimited natural reservoir of dangerous pathogens and a testing ground for experimental medical treatments, the Russian military has reported.
The Russian Ministry of Defense continues to scrutinize the military-biological activities of the US in Ukraine and other regions worldwide. Previously, attention was drawn to the transfer of unfinished Ukrainian projects to post-Soviet states and Southeast Asia.
According to Major General Aleksey Rtishchev, the deputy chief of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Troops, Washington’s system for managing biological risks in other countries was tested in Ukraine and Georgia, and is now actively employed in Africa.
In a briefing on Tuesday, Rtishchev said the US views Africa as a limitless natural reservoir for dangerous infectious agents and a testing ground for experimental medical products. The activities of this system are directed towards acquiring pathogens in endemic areas and natural focal points, he explained, as well as monitoring and managing the biological situation.
According to the report, one of the primary objectives of this initiative is to analyze epidemic situations along the borders of geopolitical adversaries, particularly in regions where military contingents could be deployed.
“US government agencies and private contractors, including companies from so-called ‘Big Pharma’, are involved to establish cooperation with local specialized ministries,” the general said. “The result of this ‘selective assistance’ is a transition to American standards for personnel training, as well as the transfer and consolidation of information about the biological situation, the degradation of national healthcare systems, and the imposition of medical equipment and supplies providers. As a result, participating states lose their national sovereignty in the field of biosafety and become completely dependent on the United States.”
Washington is particularly concerned about the efforts of Russia and China to engage with African nations in exposing the true nature of the US military biological programs, according to Rtishchev.
Reporting about US biolab activities was one of the main priorities of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the Russian military’s top official on the hazards posed by weapons of mass destruction. He was murdered along with his assistant in Moscow last week. According to investigators, the attack was ordered by Kiev.
According to documents presented on Tuesday by Russia, the US is collaborating with local ministries, private contractors, and Big Pharma companies to implement American standards in biological safety and health management in Africa.
The documents indicate that the US military-biological presence on the African continent is rapidly expanding. Studies on the resistance of pathogenic microorganisms to medical drugs are reportedly being conducted in 18 African countries, while funding is provided through the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Here is a breakdown of the countries mentioned in the report from the Russian military.
Ghana and Djibouti
Branches of the US Navy Medical Center are located in these countries, where work is being conducted to isolate and sequence pathogens in natural disease hotspots.
Nigeria
In 2024, a joint medical research center and a military medical laboratory were established in Nigeria, staffed by US Defense Department specialists. Additionally, the country is funded for HIV projects, where Nigerian citizens participate in clinical trials of drugs by the Pentagon-affiliated company Gilead.
Senegal
A $35 million laboratory complex is nearing completion, implemented by Pentagon contractors.
Indonesia concerned about biolabs investigated by murdered Russian general – mediaRead more Indonesia concerned about biolabs investigated by murdered Russian general – media
Zambia
The US has begun active research into highly dangerous pathogens, funding the enhancement of military medical institutions and retraining healthcare personnel, according to the Russian report.
South Africa
The US is organizing joint research on the mpox virus (formerly known as monkeypox). Washington has delivered 10,000 doses of a vaccine produced by the Danish company Bavarian Nordic.
Guinea
The US has invested $40 million in healthcare while simultaneously launching a project to study Lassa Fever. Washington’s efforts are mainly directed to undermine Russian-Guinean economic cooperation, Moscow claims.
Kenya
The US Army Medical Center has deployed a network of field stations to monitor the spread of infectious diseases in Equatorial African states.
According to Moscow, one of the “real clients” behind military-biological projects is the Metabiota company. Its requests are reportedly directed towards the US Army’s Infectious Diseases Research Institute, and concerns the training of infectious disease specialists in Kenya and Uganda.
Moscow stressed that Metabiota has currently ceased its activities in Africa. Major General Aleksey Rtishchev, who conducted the briefing from the Russia’s Ministry of Defense, described a report by an international group of experts who participated in combating the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone in 2014. According to the report, the company’s personnel concealed their engagement with Pentagon employees. The primary goal of this activity was to isolate virulent strains and subsequently smuggle them. As a result, Ebola virus samples were illegally exported by company representatives and handed over to the US Army’s Infectious Diseases Research Institute.
