MOSCOW, December 24. /TASS/. Washington is ramping up its biological-military capabilities in circumvention of commitments under the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), Deputy Chief of the Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Protection Troops of the Russian Armed Forces Major General Aleksey Rtishchev said.

"The Americans are particularly concerned about the work being carried out by Russia and China with the countries of the continent to expose the true content of the US military-biological programs in connection with the possible restriction of the Pentagon's activities in this area. While the stated goals are to monitor infectious disease and assist developing countries, in practice we see a buildup of US biological-military capabilities that circumvent BWC commitments," he told a briefing.

Rtishchev also noted that "there is a clear trend: pathogens that fall within the Pentagon's area of interest subsequently become pandemic, and American pharmaceutical companies become the beneficiaries."