Soviet Union Poison Experiments
Nation Involved: Soviet Union/Russia
Time Period: 1921 to 1970s (then reactivated in 1990s)
During World World 1 and slightly before, the Soviet Union began testing out several chemical weapons and poisons. The Soviet Union collapsed around the late 1980s, resulting in Russia stepping out as the prominent nation within it. Government experiments with chemical weapons are not uncommon today but in 1921, the Soviets were one of the few working on them. In fact, they opened specific laboratories dedicated to this. They are referred to as Laboratory 1, Laboratory 12, and Kamera.
Most of the people they tested chemical weapons and poisons on were prisoners from the notable Gulags. These people were exposed to countless toxic agents, resulting in dozens of deaths. The big thing for the Soviets is that they wanted to create the perfect poison that would be tasteless and odorless. This could be taken anywhere and used with ease on anyone. They also did not want anyone assuming a target was poisoned, so they attempted to create an undetectable toxin. The team used everything from mustard gas and ricin to digitoxin and curare among others.