Four Russian facilities scrapping chemical weapons to finish disposal by late 2015
MOSCOW. April 23 (Interfax-AVN) - The Leonidovka plant in the Penza region has scrapped 8,410 complex-structure munitions BKF-P, Head of the Federal Department for Safe Storage and Disposal of Chemical Weapons Col. Gen. Valery Kapashin told Interfax-AVN on Thursday.
"Hence, only 674 out of 85,666 chemical weapons stored at 66 huge depots in Leonidovka were left as of April 23 and just in one storage [facility]," he said.
In all, the Russian Federation has destroyed 87.6% or more than 35,000 tonnes of its chemical warfare agents as of late April 2015 at seven facilities. Two facilities - Gorny in the Saratov region and Kambarka in Udmurtia - accomplished their mission in 2005 and 2009, respectively. "Another four sites - Leonidovka in the Penza region, Maradykovsky in the Kirov region, Pochep in the Bryansk region, and Shchuchye in the Kurgan region - will finish the disposal of chemical weapons in the end of 2015," he said.
The Leonidovka plant was built and commissioned in 2008. Its two processing lines started to scrap complex-structure munitions in December 2012. The reason they are called complex-structure is that it is impossible to extract explosives from them. The technology for scrapping complex-structure munitions is unique; it has been developed by Russian scientists and specialists of the Federal Department.
There will be one operating facility left in Russia in a later period, in the town of Kizner, Udmurtia. It was the last to be commissioned, in December 2013.