Chemical warfare agents scrapped at Maradykovsky plant in Kirov region
MARADYKOVSKY (Kirov region). Oct 30 (Interfax-AVN) - All chemical weapons stored at the Maradykovsky plant in the Kirov region have been scrapped. The announcement was made during the events held on the former chemical arms depot premises on Friday.
"Almost 6,900 chemical warfare agents, or 17.4% of Russia's total arsenal, had been stored on the Vyatka land since 1953 in 40,822 airborne chemical munitions. All of them were safely scrapped," head of the Federal Department for Safe Storage and Disposal of Chemical Weapons Col. Gen. Valery Kapashin told Interfax-AVN.
As of October 30, Russia has scrapped 92% of its chemical weapons arsenal or 36,700 tonnes of weapons.
"We have one facility left in Kizner in the Republic of Udmurtia to carry on scrapping of warfare agents in the upcoming years," Kapashin said.
Consistent with the president's targeted chemical disarmament program, the federal department built and commissioned seven plants in the period from 2002 till 2013 for scrapping chemical weapons. Two plants, the ones in Gorny in the Saratov region and in Kambarka in the Republic of Udmurtia, accomplished their mission in 2005 and 2009, respectively. Another four facilities - Leonidovka in the Penza region, Pochep in the Bryansk region, Maradykovsky in the Kirov region and Shchuchye in the Kurgan region - completed their tasks in 2015.
"As of today, six out of seven Russian facilities have fully disposed of their chemical arms arsenals," Kapashin said.
Representative of the Russian President to the Volga Federal District, Chairman of the State Commission on Chemical Disarmament Mikhail Babich, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Director-General Ahmet Uzumcu, Kirov Regional Governor Nikita Belykh and some other officials attended the events which marked the completion of chemical arms destruction at the Maradykovsky facility.