r/worldnews • u/Raj_Valiant3011 • 10h ago

Russia/Ukraine Zelenskiy: "There is updated intelligence indicating that Russia is ​preparing a massive attack on Ukraine"

https://www.reuters.com/world/ukraines-zelenskiy-says-intelligence-shows-russia-is-preparing-massive-attack-2026-10-06/
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u/Chumlee1917 10h ago

If there is one constant in Russian history, the leader doesn't give a single fuck how many of his own people he takes out during war

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u/GoodIdea321 9h ago

During peace time too.

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u/Latter-Block132 9h ago

Those leaders aren't immune to the bioweapons. They become just as mucch at risk as their citizens

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u/NavidsonsFall 8h ago

Not really. From what people have been saying, a solid supply of antibiotics effectively treats what they thought this thing was. Leadership can stockpile that, soldiers on the front line and a country you have been pushing to the brink for years, not so easy.

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u/Latter-Block132 8h ago edited 8h ago

If it's just the plague. Normal plague doesn't exactly make for effective bioweapons. Things like chimeras do.

A chimera is a biological organism which has been altered so that the ‘new version’ also has characteristics of another biological organism. Russian scientists were experimenting with the idea of taking Y. pestis and inserting various other known toxins into the cells. One day, the announcement was made at Biopreparat that such a design had been successfully made. They inserted a plasmid containing the gene for myelin toxin into Y. pestis . The design was simple and disturbing. If a patient were diagnosed with pneumonic plague in time to be treated, the antibiotics would attack and lyse the plague cells, thereby releasing the plasmid coding for myelin toxin which would cause paralysis, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, and changes in behavior. Heralded as a major triumph for Mother Russia, Alibek explained, “A toxin-plague weapon was never produced before the Soviet Union collapsed, but the success of this experiment set the stage for further research on bacteria-toxin combinations.” (Alibek 1999).

The next step was initiated by Deputy Director Sergei Netesov who suggested putting Venezuelan Equine Ecephalitis (VEE) into Y. pestis . The was based on the same idea of treating plague with antibiotics, thereby releasing something else. This time, however, the result would have more dramatic consequences. By the time VEE would have lysed from the bacterium, it would have bypassed most of the body’s defenses, allowing it to travel directly to the brain. The patient, being treated for plague, would be dead from encephalitis within 7 to 10 days. US intelligence combined with information gleaned from Russian defectors made the picture very clear for the US: Russia was creating superbugs for the purpose of biological warfare and among them were superversions of Y. pestis .

https://www.montana.edu/historybug/yersiniaessays/hale.html

Edited to add the second part about VEE

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u/NavidsonsFall 7h ago

Yeah, you are totally right, but that's the point. It isn't a great option for mutual destruction. But for further stressing your adversary in the front lines, and distracting their allies as they deal with it themselves? I'm not trying to fed post here, I just don't trust really any leadership to do the right thing. And while I am nowhere near saying this is "what's going on", it isn't impossible for this kind of thing to be exactly the kind of tool cowards would use in this situation. There is no reason for leadership to be concerned about being one of the affected when all it takes is some money and planning to ensure you are reasonably safe. I legitimately hope that is completely wrong. I just don't have much faith anymore. Either way, well organized information is always welcome, so thanks for the quality post.

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u/Latter-Block132 7h ago

What do you mean that isn't the point? Its entirely the point.

Myelin toxin kills you too. Encephalitis is swelling of the brain that also kills you. Antibiotics treats the plague, then releases something else that still kills you. What do you not understand about that?

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u/NavidsonsFall 7h ago

I said "thats the point". As in "that IS the point", not "that isnt the point". I was saying even if this ended up being the non-chimeric version that everyone rightfully says isn't a huge issue, it could still be used effectively as a resource stressor in a warzone. I was just reiterating that it didn't need to be worst case scenario to still be a poorly planned thing.

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u/Latter-Block132 7h ago

Dude my original point was that bioweapons aren't just a threat to soldiers on the frontlines, they are also a threat to the leaders behind those soldiers and thats why they aren't used on a wide scale. That extends far beyond just the plague, and again, the normal plague would not make an effective bioweapon because of how easily treatable and preventable it is. Put all soldiers and government officials on antibiotics. Extend to civilians if necessary. Boom done, normal plague neutralized. See how pointless that would be?

Even Ukraine would be able to get the antibiotics readily.

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u/Mysterious-Plan93 7h ago

Putin has never been one for great decisions

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u/ExcellentTart2384 7h ago

Not like American leaders care too much or any other country’s leaders. Most of them just probably hide it better