Russian island lab tied to military bioweapons institute, RFE/RL reports

September 3, 2026 at 11:19 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

A scientific facility on a secluded island in Russia's Tver region is affiliated with an institute accused of developing biological weapons for the Russian military, RFE/RL and Systema report. The Center of Experimental Physiology on Lisy Island is headed by Vladimir Maksimov, a former official of the Defense Ministry's 48th Central Research Institute, which was blacklisted by the United States in 2020. Ukraine's military intelligence claimed on August 21 that the center was experimenting with dangerous pathogens for the Russian armed forces.

Key Facts

The Center of Experimental Physiology on Lisy Island is part of Russia's Federal Medical-Biological Agency (FMBA).
The center's head, Vladimir Maksimov, is a former official of the Russian Defense Ministry's 48th Central Research Institute.
The 48th Central Research Institute was blacklisted by the United States in 2020 for allegedly continuing biological and chemical weapons programs.
Ukraine's military intelligence agency, HUR, claimed on August 21, 2026, that the center was experimenting with dangerous viruses and other pathogens for the Russian armed forces.
Construction of the Center of Experimental Physiology was completed by autumn 2025, and satellite images from July 2026 show a large laboratory building, housing, and a helicopter landing pad.

The Facility

The Center of Experimental Physiology is located on Lisy Island in Vyshnevolotskoye Reservoir, Tver region, northwest of Moscow. The northern part of the reservoir was designated a natural monument in 2023, restricting public access to many islands including Lisy Island. The center is part of Russia's Federal Medical-Biological Agency (FMBA). Construction was completed by autumn 2025, and satellite images from July 2026 show a large laboratory building, landscaped park, personnel housing, and a helicopter landing pad.

Military Connection

The center's head, Vladimir Maksimov, previously worked at the Russian Defense Ministry's 48th Central Research Institute, the country's leading developer of defensive systems against biological weapons. The 48th Central Research Institute was blacklisted by the United States in 2020 along with two other Russian institutes for allegedly continuing biological and chemical weapons programs. The FMBA, the center's parent agency, has figured in investigations into the poisonings of opposition politician Aleksei Navalny and former GRU officer Sergei Skripal with a Novichok-type nerve agent. On August 21, 2026, Ukraine's military intelligence agency, HUR, claimed the center was experimenting with dangerous viruses and other pathogens for the benefit of the Russian armed forces.

Island History

Lisy Island hosted a veterinary laboratory in Imperial Russia and a facility for acute experiments involving infectious diseases of agricultural animals during Josef Stalin's rule. In spring 2021, about a year before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the settlement on the island became the Center of Experimental Physiology. The island had been largely unused by the Russian government in recent decades before the latest construction.