Russia completes scrapping chemical weapons
NOVO-OGAREVO. Sept 27 (Interfax) - Russia destroyed its last piece of chemical ammunition on Wednesday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered to do so by a video link-up with Udmurtia, where disposal works were under way.
As of September 27, all stockpiles of chemical weapons, in total 39,967 tonnes of poisonous substances had been scrapped.
Russia adopted the federal targeted program called Chemical Weapons Disposal in the Russian Federation in 1996. The State Duma ratified the relevant convention in 1997.
Russia used seven facilities to dispose of its chemical weapon stockpiles. The country commissioned the first of them, the Gorny chemical weapons disposal facility outside Saratov, in 2002. The next two facilities were opened in Kambarka (Udmurtia) and Maradykovsky (Kirov region) in 2006, followed by Leonidovka (Penza region) in 2008, Shchuchye (Kurgan region) in 2009, Pochep (Bryansk region) in 2010, and Kizner (Udmurtia) in 2013. In total, Russia has scrapped almost 40,000 tonnes of toxic warfare agents.
The chairman of the State Chemical Disarmament Commission and presidential envoy to the Volga Federal District, Mikhail Babich, said earlier that the disposal of chemical weapons in Russia was to be completed in 2017, one year ahead of schedule.