Russia Opens Chemical Weapons Disposal Facility

Russia yesterday opened a chemical weapons destruction facility in Kambarka, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, March 1).

The facility — the second of its kind in Russia — is expected to eliminate 16 percent of the country’s 40,000-ton weapons stockpile. Treaty obligations mandate that the entire stockpile be destroyed by 2012.

“We built it fast but we built it well,” said Alexander Burutin, a Kremlin adviser.

“We can say now with certainty that we will have destroyed all 40,000 tons of chemical weapons by 2012,” he said.

Russia paid 63 percent of the $31 million price tag for the facility, while Germany paid 34 percent and the European Union paid 3 percent, said Gen. Valery Kapashin, head of a Defense Ministry department for the destruction of chemical weapons (Agence France-Presse/Gulf Times, March 1).

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