Biowarrior: Inside the Soviet/Russian Biological War Machine [Hardcover]

Igor V. Domaradskij (Author), Wendy Orent (Author), I. V. Domaradskii (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2003

This extraordinary memoir by a leading Russian scientist who worked for decades at the nerve centre of the top-secret "Biopreparat" offers a chilling look into the biological weapons program of the former Soviet Union, vestiges of which still exist today in the Russian Federal Republic. Igor Domaradskij calls himself an "inconvenient man": a dedicated scientist but a nonconformist who was often in conflict with government and military apparatchiks. In this book he reveals the deadly nature of the research he participated in for almost fifteen years. "Biowarrior" is disturbing but necessary reading for anyone wishing to understand the nature and dimensions of the biological threat in an era of international terrorism.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This autobiography of a Soviet scientist works better as memoir than it does as insight into the biological threat that might exist from research done in the former Soviet Union. After a somewhat lengthy description of his childhood and early adult years in the 1930s and '40s, Domaradskij, now chief research fellow at the Moscow Gabrichevsky G.N. Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, depicts his rapid rise in the Soviet research system. For several decades, Domaradskij worked as an epidemiological researcher. Then in 1970 he was called to work on the Soviet secret biological weapons program. (He reiterates from firsthand knowledge what has long been known: when inconvenient, the Soviets simply ignored international treaties, such as those regarding banned weapons.) What comes through from his description of Biopreparat, as the program was known, is not its technological advances-Domaradskij admits that its major achievement has long since been scientifically superseded-but the petty bureaucracy of the Soviet system. As was the case throughout the Soviet Union, science took a back seat to politics, and personal advancement and greasing the palms of one's superiors took priority over cutting-edge research. Domaradskij bit his tongue for a while before speaking out against the program and eventually losing his prestigious position. In this sometimes laborious read, he shows how the Communist system's excesses eventually pushed a loyal-and rewarded-citizen into the status of a semidissident.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"This insightful account of a scientist-in-wonderland deserves wide readership...Highly recommended." -- Choice, March 2004

"chilling...an informative addition to the growing body of Cold War Era information that has come to light..." -- Midwest Book Review's

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 250 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (October 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159102093X
• ISBN-13: 978-1591020936
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,177,851 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A chilling account, May 15, 2004

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Biowarrior: Inside the Soviet/Russian Biological War Machine (Hardcover)

Readers of Russian politics and world peace will find Biowarrior: Inside the Soviet/Russian Biological War Machine to be an intriguing insider's look at the Soviet biological war machine, written by a leading Russian scientist who worked for decades at the heart of the program. Igor Domaradskij was a dedicated scientist who was often in conflict with military approaches: he became a specialist in epidemic bacterial infections, and was responsible for plague control within the former USSR, and also helped design the Soviet military's bio-weapons program. A chilling account, Biowarrior is a welcome and informative addition to the growing body of Cold War Era information that has come to light since the downfall of the old communist empire.

2 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Pass on this one, January 5, 2004

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myxomycota (Marietta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Biowarrior: Inside the Soviet/Russian Biological War Machine (Hardcover)

This book was not what I expected. The author spends much valuable time describing his personal trials and tribulations with the Russian "system" rather than explaining the what, how, where, and gory details of biological warfare. If you are looking for an exciting read, pass on this one...I did read the whole thing and I can guarantee it will put you to sleep every time you pick it up!