Highlights
- The research of epigenetic inheritance mechanisms opens up possibilities for creating new types of biological damaging agents and changing the targets and methods of biological warfare.
- The use of epigenetic mechanisms for in vivo gene expression manipulation requires the development of strict international regulatory protocols, biosecurity systems, and broad public discussion about the ethical boundaries of scientific intervention.
Relevance. Driven by the explosive interest of molecular biologists in studying small RNAs and the epigenetic changes they cause in the inheritance of phenotypic traits.
The purpose of the study is to identify the level and directions of research on small RNAs capable of inducing pathological processes.
The source base of the study. Articles from scientific journals accessible through the PubMed search engine.
Research method. Analytical.
Results. The current level of understanding of epigenetic gene control mechanisms allows for targeted in vivo gene expression management and impact on future generations through epigenetic modifications. Hundreds of pathological conditions caused by interference with the epigenetic regulation of phenotypic traits have been identified. Technologies have been developed for the artificial introduction of specific small RNAs (sRNAs) into germ cells that are not “products” of maternal/paternal “genetic material.” These sRNAs accumulate in germ cells (oocytes, spermatozoa) and are transmitted to offspring after fertilization, i.e., to the next generation(s). sRNAs are known for their long-term stability and resistance to RNases. They can enter the human body through food, aerosol routes, parenterally (vaccines, DNA/RNA preparations) and be transmitted to subsequent generations.
Conclusions. The development of epigenetic gene control technologies carries unprecedented risks. Uncontrolled or malicious application of these tools could lead to catastrophic consequences, including:
- A sharp increase in pathologies in subsequent generations due to off-target effects that can be inherited;
- Disruption of the genetic stability of the human population due to unpredictable long-term consequences of interference with the epigenome;
- Targeted depopulation of specific ethnic groups or whole humankind.

Highlights
- If we want to find someone guilty of violating the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction (Chemical Weapons Convention or CWC), we should prove the involvement of specific persons, whose DNA can be identified using biological traces left at the chemical accident site.
- Decontaminant mixtures, used at the chemical accident site can destroy the DNA and that makes genotyping impossible.
- The authors have elaborated special procedure that permits to preserve biological traces at the chemical accident site for further forensic analysis.
Relevance. It is crucial to provide objective evidence against persons who are involved in chemical accidents. The only way is to make a DNA assay of biological traces left at chemical accident site. That is why we should keep these traces intact and preserve their integrity.
Purpose of the study is to provide a scientific justification for the standard procedure that ensures protection of evidence at chemical accident site.
Study base sources. The authors have studied scientific publications including those, available on the Internet.
Method. Analytical method has been employed.
Results. The authors of this paper have outlined the forensic significance of biological traces with DNA at the chemical accident site. They have evaluated the risks of the DNA data loss, when the site is exposed to decontaminant agents. It has been proved that chlorine containing reagents destroy the DNA, whereas mixtures that contain magnesium oxide, titanium oxide, 2-aminoethanol and calcium hypochlorite are safe for the DNA. The authors of this paper have developed a procedure that permits either to collect biomaterial before decontamination or to use mixtures that are harmless to the DNA.
Conclusion. To preserve evidence for further forensic analysis it is vital to avoid using decontaminants that may destroy the DNA. In this case the neutral mixtures should be used.

Highlights
- use of non-lethal chemical agents by Ukrainian armed and terrorist formations has been documented in the Special Military Operation zone, constituting a violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention;
- a chromatographic-mass spectrometric method has been developed to confirm exposure to BZ and its analogs through identification of their metabolites in urine and blood plasma.
Relevance. Since 2022, two instances of EA-3167 detection have been recorded in the SMO zone - a structural and functional analog of the incapacitating agent BZ listed in Schedule 2 of the CWC. Cases of intoxication among Russian military personnel have been reported. Despite BZ being known for decades, information about its metabolism and potential exposure markers in open sources remains extremely limited and insufficient.
Purpose of the study is to detect and structurally identify BZ metabolites in rat urine and blood plasma; to assess the relative content of BZ and its metabolites.
Materials and Methods. High-resolution liquid and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Evaluation of relative metabolite content was based on peak intensity (area) measurements under HPLC-HRMS conditions. Characteristics of metabolites specific to BZ exposure were determined.
Results. Over 40 BZ metabolites formed through oxidative and (partially) hydrolytic modifications.
Conclusion. For of the parent molecule were tentatively identified in rat urine and plasma. Structures of Phase I oxidized metabolites contained up to four additional oxygen atoms incorporated as hydroxyl groups on phenyl residues and N-oxide. Phase I metabolites undergo intensive conjugation forming O-methylated and glucuronidated forms, and their combinations. Levels of several metabolites in urine (including glucuronide of dihydroxylated methylated metabolite) increased up to 24 hours post-exposure. Unchanged BZ was present in rat urine only in minor concentrations.forensic confirmation of BZ exposure using chromatography-mass spectrometry, monohydroxylated, N-oxidized, and dihydroxylated methylated forms are most suitable. When significant time has passed after exposure, detection of glucuronides of monohydroxylated and dihydroxylated methylated metabolites is recommended.
Practical significance of the work. The developed approach allows for the objective confirmation of poisoning by the incapacitating agent BZ and its analogues through the detection of stable metabolites in biological samples. The results are of high practical importance for chemical-analytical support in monitoring compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention and for forensic medical examination.

Highlights
The 1977 Rift valley fever (RVF) epidemic in Egypt was deliberately instigated by U.S. military forces during the Egyptian-Israeli conflict. The artificially engineered, highly pathogenic human strain of the RVF virus subsequently spread across Africa and beyond.
Relevance. The global expansion of U.S. military-biological laboratories, including their collection and study of highthreat pathogens, poses a direct risk to international biosecurity, particularly near Russia’s borders.
Purpose of the study is to investigate the origins of the 1977 RVF outbreak in Egypt.
Study base sources. English-language scientific publications from online databases and academic libraries.
Method. Analytical.
Discussion. The outbreak began abruptly on September 28, 1977, in military encampments and adjacent villages, infecting ~18,000 individuals. The contamination zone exhibited a cigar-shaped dispersion pattern, consistent with aerosolized delivery of a biological warfare agent. Ground-level wind direction in the preceding 72 hours aligned with the outbreak’s longitudinal axis. The case fatality rate (3.3%) was unprecedented, as RVF had never been documented north of the Sahara and was previously a non-lethal, flu-like illness in endemic regions.
In the 1960s United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) conducted genetic and aerobiological modifications to the RVF virus, developing a highly pathogenic strain for weaponization. Prior to the outbreak, personnel at the U.S.-operated NAMRU-3 facility and UN peacekeeping contingents were preemptively vaccinated with the experimental NDBR-103 vaccine. NAMRU-3 identified the pathogen within 30 hours – versus 6 months in prior outbreaks – indicating foreknowledge of the agent. These findings confirm intentional deployment of the virus against Egyptian military positions.
Conclusions. The 1977 RVF epidemic in Egypt resulted from a covert biological attack using a weaponized strain, likely derived from the Zimbabwe-1974 isolate. The subsequent continental spread of this engineered variant displaced less pathogenic strains, demonstrating the destabilizing consequences of U.S. biowarfare programs. This incident underscores the threat posed by offensive military-biological research to global security.

Highlights
A comparative study was conducted on the suitability of the domestic "Nanoporus" platform and its foreign counterpart, MinION, for solving the tasks of the NBC Protection Corps.
The comparable effectiveness of the "Nanoporus" platform was demonstrated after applying post-processing algorithms.
Key advantages of the "Nanoporus" platform are its cost-effectiveness and capability for autonomous operation.
Relevance. The study is determined by the need to develop domestic technologies for the rapid identification of pathogenic biological agents (PBA) in field conditions by the NBC Protection Corps.
Purpose of the study is a comprehensive review of the theoretical foundations and practical applications of nanopore sequencing technology, as well as the prospects for its implementation in the NBC Protection Corps of the Russian Armed Forces.
Materials and Methods. The quality of genome assemblies from the "Nanoporus" (Nanoporus, Russia) and MinION (Oxford Nanopore Technologies, UK) sequencing systems was compared. The reference strain E. coli XL1-Blue (Evrogen, Russia) was used as the biological model. Experimental nanopore sequencing was performed, including DNA extraction, library preparation, and subsequent bioinformatic data processing using the Flye and Medaka tools. Genome assembly completeness and accuracy were analyzed based on N50 and Q-score metrics.
Results. It was shown that the domestic "Nanoporus" platform provides high genome assembly quality, comparable to the results obtained with the MinION system, but at significantly lower operational costs. The platform is compact and suitable for autonomous operation in field conditions.
Conclusion. The "Nanoporus" platform is promising for integration into the mobile laboratories of the NBC Protection Corps of the Russian Armed Forces and can be used for solving PBA identification tasks.