Г.Н. Лепёшкин [repeates the question from the audience; translated below]: Почему в 72-м году было принято решение о том, чтобы развить вот эту всю инфраструктуру? Развить био-оружие в России, в Советском Союзе?
Julia Karpeisky: Why was the decision made in 1972 to develop all this bio-weapons infrastructure in the Soviet Union?
Gennadiy N. Lepeshkin: Well, in '72, I was 26 years old, and I could not have known at that time why the government decided to work on that issue. But what I can say is this: that given that it did decide to do so, it clearly realized that it was lagging far behind the governments that were in the lead in the field, especially the United States of America. And the Soviet Union was simply trying to catch up, in my view, that's what I think. Because I've read Patrick. To catch up with the United States and at least achieve what had been achieved there.
Лепёшкин [interpreted below]: Особенно это было связанно с проблемой генетической устойчивости, антибиотиками... и антибиотико-устойчивостью, и другим целым рядом проблем.
Karpeisky: And specifically it had to do with the issues of genetic stability, antibiotic resistance, etc.
Патрик: Bill Patrick. American bio-weapons expert who debriefed Ken Alibek in 1992.