Russia looked into using monkeypox as biological weapon, claims ex soviet scientist - The Mirror

Monkeypox is a rare viral infection which can be caught from infected wild animals in parts of west and central Africa, and spread between humans via both droplet respiration or an infected person's bodily fluids.

We tested vaccinia virus, mousepox virus, rabbitpox virus, and monkeypox virus as models for smallpox.

He was previously brought before a United States Congress hearing, where he said he was "convinced that Russia’s biological weapons program has not been completely dismantled"