Biological Espionage: Special Operations of the Societ and Russian Foreign Intelligence Services in the West

In the wake of 9/11 the threat of biological terrorism and sabotage has been thrust to the forefront of public consciousness. However, this is far from being a new phenomenon. From World War II onwards, the Cold war powers devoted considerable resources to developing what became known in the military as ‘bugs and gas”. This groundbreaking new study lifts the lid on the top-secret department 12 of Directorate S (Special Operations)- the elite inner core of the KGB First Chief Directorate and its successor, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service. During the 1980s and early 199s the department was charged with the encouragement of biological espionage, planning and preparation of acts of biological terrorism, sabotage and biological war, and supporting the Soviet biological-weapons programme. On of the KGB’s top operatives, Alexander Kouzminov, has decided to break his silence and reveal in depth for the first time Department 12’s tasks, plans and tactics. More disturbingly, he explores what others in the West and the developing world could –and indeed in some cases are –capable of. In this remarkable book we learn the secrets of the USSR’s elite intelligence operatives –secrets which could prove vital in maintaining international security in today’s uncertain political climate.