" . . . possible use of monkeypox as a biological weapon instead of smallpox."

[professor rat]

In 1998, Alibek reported that "there was significant discussion of the possible use of monkeypox as a biological weapon instead of smallpox."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_biological_weapons_program#:~:text=A%20Soviet-era%20agricultural%20biowarfare,was%20established%20on%20Gorodomlya%20Island.

In the 1980s, the Soviet Ministry of Agriculture successfully developed variants of foot-and-mouth disease and rinderpest against cows, African swine fever for pigs, and psittacosis to kill chicken. These agents were prepared to be sprayed down on enemy fields from tanks attached to airplanes over hundreds of miles. The secret program was code-named “Ecology”.