4 ms·
If we are talking about V-Series Agents, we might as well talk about the secret Soviet Program to develop additional V-series compounds[1] that would be undetec
by tlow 10y ago
If we are talking about V-Series Agents, we might as well talk about the secret Soviet Program to develop additional V-series compounds[1] that would be undetectable by the west. It is important to note that there are many vectors of entry for a V-series agent, and in this case, evidence points to an atomized version, as opposed to the dermal administration which is more common among this class. An atomized version targeting the respiratory system and not the dermal would explain why two women attempting to aid "with bare hands" would not have been harmed.
Beyond VX, there exist a plethora of other analogous chemicals, namely the G-Series[2], VE[3], VG[4], VM[5], VR[6] and VP[7]. A notable commonality among these compounds is that very little is known about their effects outside of military research (ie not shared).
Given the military nature of these compounds, there is a reason to believe that this was a military assassination.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novichok_agent https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novichok_agent
[2] Sarin is a G-series agent https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarin
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VE_(nerve_agent) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VE_(nerve_agent)
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VG_(nerve_agent) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VG_(nerve_agent)
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VM_(nerve_agent) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VM_(nerve_agent)
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VR_(nerve_agent) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VR_(nerve_agent)
[7] https://books.google.com/books?id=DQw2hVGe0aMC&lpg=PA72&ots=eYb1G3m7Cl&dq=%2B%22vp%20nerve%22&pg=PA72#v=onepage&q=+%22vp%20nerve%22&f=false https://books.google.com/books?id=DQw2hVGe0aMC&lpg=PA72&ots=...
- frankydp 10y agoIt is worth mentioning that a powder form of nerve agents was also created during the time that these things were the fad. Mirzayanov covered the functionality of these binary powder based chems with 5-7x efficacy over VX. It would be highly unlikely for NK have functional quantities of these though. Edit: Also it would be possible to use a non-military Acetylcholinesterase inhibitor for this attack.
- tlow 10y agoIn reply to "Edit": Oh? Really? And might you have a compound in mind? Seriously. Do you have inside information on a novel Nerve Agent that has not been studied for military use but is effective?
- rwmj 10y agoThere's an absolutely terrifying book by Ken Alibeck ("Biohazard") about the Soviet secret chemical and biological warfare programme. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Alibek https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Alibek)
- Tech1 10y agoPrior US Army bomb technician checking in. Also look at State Secrets: An Insider's Chronicle of the Russian Chemical Weapons Program by Vil S Mirzayanov, Novichok is covered there as well. ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1432725661/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1432725661/ref=oh_aui_sear... nonref)
- dmix 10y ago> not the dermal would explain why two women attempting to aid "with bare hands" would not have been harmed. Can you explain exactly how they carried out the assassination without harming themselves? Each had two different compounds on their hands (or one with a rag?) and they touched his face in sequence. Then only on his face did they combine to become the nerve agent? What about the last girl who touched his face, how was she not harmed? Was it because he had to inhale it?
- mulletbum 10y agoShe was harmed.
- nabla9 10y agoAt least one of the people involved claims that she did not know it was an assassination. After this VX revelation it makes even more sense for actual assassins use this tactics. >Suspect in North Korea killing 'thought she was taking part in TV prank' Indonesian Siti Aisyah, 25, duped and ‘not aware it was assassination attempt by alleged foreign agents’, says head of police >Indonesia’s national police chief, Tito Karnavian, told reporters in Indonesia’s Aceh province that the Indonesian woman, 25-year-old Siti Aisyah, was paid to be involved in pranks. He said she and another woman performed stunts which involved convincing men to close their eyes and then spraying them with water. “Such an action was done three or four times and they were given a few dollars for it, and with the last target, Kim Jong-nam, allegedly there were dangerous materials in the sprayer,” Karnavian said. >“She was not aware that it was an assassination attempt by alleged foreign agents.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/17/suspect-north-korea-killing-thought-she-was-taking-part-in-tv-prank-indonesia-siti-aisyah-police-kim-jong-nam https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/17/suspect-north-...
- zmh 10y agoone was reported vomiting.