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Updated September 2005
Nuclear Facilities
Military Test Sites
During the Soviet era, 456 nuclear tests were conducted at the Semipalatinsk Test Site, including the first Soviet atom bomb explosion in 1949 and the first Soviet hydrogen bomb detonation in 1953.[1] Ten nuclear weapons delivered by planes and missiles were detonated over the Kazakhstani portion of Kapustin Yar and a nuclear explosion was detonated near the town of Aralsk.[2] In addition, peaceful nuclear explosions were conducted in Kazakhstan, including 17 at Azgyr, six at Lira, three at Say-Utes, and seven seismic tests at other locations.[2]
In its October 1990 declaration of sovereignty, Kazakhstan included a prohibition on further nuclear testing on its territory.[3] In 1992, Kazakhstan declared state ownership over all former Soviet military facilities.[4] Since its creation in May 1992, the Kazakhstani National Nuclear Center has used facilities at the former Semipalatinsk Test Site for civilian purposes. Russia leases Kazakhstani areas of Kapustin Yar as well as three missile ranges (Emba, Sary-Shagan, and the 929th State Test Flight Center) and Baikonur Cosmodrome from Kazakhstan.
Sources:
[1] Robert S. Norris and William M. Arkin, "Known Nuclear Tests Worldwide, 1945-1995," The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, May-June 1996, pp. 61-63.
[2] Smantai Tleubergenov, Poligony kazakhstana ( Almaty: Gylym, 1997), pp. 55-56, 435.
[3] William Potter, "Politics of Nuclear Renunciation: The Cases of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine," Henry L. Stimson Center Website http://stimson.org/pubs/zeronuke/potter.pdf, April 1995, p. 5.
[4] Merhat Shapirzhan, "Kazakh Russian Military Cooperation," NISNP E-mail correspondence, 1 November 1996.{Updated 12/2/96, 1/29/97 GB}{Updated 8/28/2000, 11/6/2000 KB}
Aralsk
According to the Kazakhstani Atomic Energy Agency, a 0.3 kT surface nuclear explosion was conducted on 2 February 1956 in the Aralsk region of Kzyl-Orda Oblast.[1] Other sources indicate that a missile test took place at Aralsk on the same date.[2,3] Yet another source confirms the surface nuclear explosion on 2 February 1956 and reports an underwater nuclear explosion at Aralsk one year earlier, in February 1955.[4] Jane's Intelligence Review has also identified Aralsk as a biological and chemical weapons test site.[5]
Sources:
[1] Information provided to NISNP by the Kazakhstan Atomic Energy Agency, 26 October 1996.
[2] "Known Nuclear Tests Worldwide, 1945-1995," The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, May-June 1996, pp. 61-62.
[3] Kazakhstanskaya pravda, 11 December 1996, pp. 1,5, in "Kazakhstan: Call For End to Russian Military Tests," FBIS-SOV-96-252.
[4] Smantay Tleubergenov, Poligony Kazakhstana (Almaty: Gylym, 1997), pp. 134, 527.
[5] Shirin Akiner, "Soviet Military Legacy in Kazakhstan," Jane's Intelligence Review, December 1994, pp. 552-555.{Updated 11/6/2000 KB}
Azgyr
The Azgyr nuclear test site (also known as the Galit facility) is situated in Dengiz Rayon, Atyrau Oblast, bordering Urda Rayon, Western Kazakhstan Oblast.[1] From 1966 to 1976, 24 underground nuclear explosions were conducted here. Some of the explosions were conducted to test nuclear weapons; others were conducted to create underground reservoirs in salt domes of the Caspian Depression for the storage of liquid and gaseousfuel supplies.[2,3] In late 1994, the Southern Seismological Station, which managed nuclear explosions, ceased its activity and Russian guards left the site in March 1996.[4] The Azgyr test site houses a laboratory for the synthesis of superstrong materials, which includes the Yava-1M installation for producing artificial diamonds.[3]
Sources:
[1] Smantay Tleubergenov, Poligony Kazakhstana (Almaty: Gylym, 1997), p. 481.
[2] Information provided to NISNP by the Kazakhstan Atomic Energy Agency, 26 October 1996.
[3]"Territoriya Byvshego Yadernogo Poligona Azgir v Kazakhstane Bezopasna, Polagayut Spetsialisty," Interfax-Novosti, 7 August 2001.
[4] Kazakhstanskaya pravda, 11 December 1996, pp. 1,5; in "Kazakhstan: Call For End to Russian Military Tests," FBIS-SOV-96-252, 11 December 1996.
[5]"Information Section," Yadernyy kontrol, April 1995, p. 7.{Updated 11/6/2000 KB, 9/11/2001 DK}
Emba
The Emba test site is a tactical anti-aircraft defense and anti-missile defense systems test site located 200km from Aktyubinsk, Mugodzharskiy Rayon, Aktyubinsk Oblast. The site was created in 1960, covering an area of 7,000km. In 1995, Kazakhstan and Russia signed an intergovernmental agreement whereby Russia could lease the site for a period of 10 years. In addition to Russian troops, Kazakhstani surface-to-air missile troops reportedly conduct launches at Emba.[1,2,3] In November 1999 the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces completed the relocation of personnel, military property, and technical equipment from Emba to Kapustin Yar, Astrakhan Oblast, Russia, and ended their lease of the test site.[4]
Sources:
[1] Richard F. Kaufman and John P. Hardt (eds.), The Former Soviet Union in Transition, Joint Economic Committee Congress of the United States, 1993, p. 788.
[2] Merhat Sharipzhan, "Kazakh Russian Military Cooperation," NISNP E-mail correspondence, 1 November 1996.
[3] Vladimir Berezko, "They Should Come Up With a Red Book for Emba," Krasnaya zvezda, 6 September 1996, p. 2; in FBIS-SOV-96-209-S.
[4] "Ispytatelnyy poligon 'Emba' perekocheval iz Kazakhstana v Rossiyu," Krasnaya zvezda, 20 November 1999, p. 1; in WPS Oborona i bezopasnost, No. 138, 24 November 1999.{updated 12/3/99 CC}
Kapustin Yar
Twenty-three percent (15,000 of the total 65,000 square kilometers) of Russia's Kapustin Yar test site is located in Kazakhstan (Urda and Zhangali Rayons, Western Kazakhstan Oblast). The Kazakhstani portion of the test site was used to test the delivery of nuclear weapons by aircraft and missiles. From 1957 to 1962, ten nuclear charges were exploded at Kapustin Yar, Western Kazakhstan.[1] As of January 2001, Russia was leasing the site from Kazakhstan in exchange for annual in-kind payments of military equipment and training, worth $25.5 million.[2]
Sources:
[1] Smantay Tleubergenov, Poligony Kazakhstana (Almaty: Gylym, 1997), pp. 433-436, 480-481. {Entered 11/6/2000 KB}
[2] "Novosti iz stran SNG," ITAR-TASS, 12 January 2001. {Updated 6/18/2001 NA}
Leninsk
Leninsk test site, also known as the Baikonur Cosmodrome, extends for 85km from north to south, and 125km from east to west in the Kzyl-Orda Oblast.[1] It got its name after the town of Leninsk, which was renamed Baikonur by former Russian President Boris Yeltsin in the mid-1990s. Baikonur Cosmodrome is the world's largest and oldest working space facility.[2] Apart from dozens of launch pads, it includes five tracking control centers, nine tracking stations, and a 1,500km rocket test range.[1] Russia has rented the facility from Kazakhstan since 1993.[2]
Sources:
[1] "Baikonur," Encyclopedia Astronautica Web Site, http://www.astronautix.com/sites/baikonur.htm.
[2] "World's largest launch facility," 12 May 2002, BBC News Web Site, http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/
newsid_1983000/1983026.stm. {Entered 7/17/2002 YP}
Lira
Lira test site is located 140km east of the town of Uralsk in Burlinskiy Rayon, Western Kazakhstan Oblast. From 1983-1984, six underground peaceful nuclear explosions were conducted at Lira, creating underground storage cavities in salt domes with a volume of about 60,000 cubic meters.[1,2,3,4] These cavities were created to store gas condensate extracted from the Karachaganak gas field in Western Kazakhstan Oblast. The Aksay branch of the Institute of Nuclear Physics has monitored the radiation level in the Lira cavities since 1998 and has declared that the gas condensate within is safe.[5]
Sources:
[1] Smantay Tleubergenov, Poligony Kazakhstana (Almaty: Gylym, 1997), pp. 56, 61, 134.
[2] Smantay Tleubergenov, Ekologiya cheloveka (Almaty: Gylym, 1993), p. 195.
[3] Information provided to NISNP by the Kazakhstan Atomic Energy Agency, 26 October 1996.
[4] "Radiation Situation on the Territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan," Aziya-Ezh, No. 47, November 1996, p. 23; in "Kazakhstan: Results of Radioactive Contamination Study," FBIS-SOV-96-252-S.{Updated 11/6/2000 KB}
[5] "Filial IYaF v ZKO budet otslezhivat nalichiye radioaktivnykh veshchestv v karachaganakskoy nefti," Panorama, No. 45, November 2000.{Updated 6/8/2001 NA}
Sary-Shagan
The Sary-Shagan test site, situated near Lake Balkhash, conducts work on strategic anti-aircraft defense, anti-ballistic missile defense, and anti-satellite systems. Established in 1956, Sary-Shagan was a natural choice for a test site for anti-ballistic missile (ABM) systems. It is located about 1,600 km from Russia's Kapustin Yar ballistic missile test site and therefore provides coverage of the impact area for missiles launched from there.[1,2,3] It is the only site where Russian tests of ABM systems are allowed under the 1972 ABM Treaty.[4] Sary-Shagan has near ideal conditions for testing. The weather is sunny most of the year. The site has a length of 480km, which allows long-range testing. Sary-Shagan is equipped with Kazakhstani-designed MR-9 and Baloban target missiles.[5] In addition to testing grounds, Sary-Shagan included facilities at the nearby town of Priozersk. Some facilities at Sary-Shagan have been leased to Russia, while other facilities have been transferred to the Kazakhstani National Center for Radioelectronics and Communications.[6] Kazakhstan is planning to increase cooperation with Russia and other former Soviet republics on leasing Sary-Shagan facilities. According to the Head of Kazakhstani General Staff Alibek Kasymov, the money obtained from leasing Sary-Shagan will be spent primarily for upgrading the test site itself. The second priority is financing the town of Priozersk.[5] A series of missile tests were conducted at the Sary-Shagan and Kapustin Yar test sites in 1961-1962. During these tests, missiles were launched from Kapustin Yar into the impact area in conjunction with ballistic missile defense systems at Sary-Shagan.[2,3] Jane's Strategic Weapons Systems indicated that in 1961, a SH-01 ‘Galosh' interceptor system at Sary-Shagan hit an incoming SS-4 ‘Sandel' warhead traveling in excess of 3 km/s.[1] Sary-Shagan was also a major Soviet test facility for directed energy weapons (DEW), particularly laser weapons.[7]
Sources:
[1] Duncan Lennox, ed., Jane's Strategic Weapons Systems, 1996, Issue 18, May 1995.
[2] "Known Nuclear Tests Worldwide, 1945-1993," The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, May-June 1994, p. 62.
[3] Sayre Stevens, "The Soviet BMD Program," Ballistic Missile Defense, Ashton B. Carter and David N. Schwartz editors, The Brookings Institution, 1984, pp. 191-197.
[4] Sergey Sokut, "Udarom na udar," Nezavisimoye voyennoye obozreniye, No. 44, November 1999, pp. 1,4; in WPS Oborona i bezopasnost, No. 135, 17 November 1999.
[5]"Kazakhstan nameren kommertsializirovat poligon Saryshagan," Panorama, No. 34, September 2001.{entered 10/15/01 DK}
[6] Merhat Sharipzhan, "Kazakh-Russian Military Cooperation," NISNP E-mail correspondence, 1 November 1996.
[7] Duncan Lennox, ed., Jane's Strategic Weapons Systems, 1996, Issue 20, January 1996.{updated 12/3/99 CC; 11/7/2000 KB}
Say-Utes
Say-Utes test site is located 100-115km south-southeast of the village of Say-Utes in Mangystau Oblast.[1] Three peaceful nuclear explosions were conducted at Say-Utes in 1969-1970.[2,3,4]
Sources:
[1] Smantay Tleubergenov, Poligony Kazakhstana (Almaty: Gylym, 1997), pp. 56, 134.
[2] Smantay Tleubergenov, Ekologiya cheloveka (Almaty: Gylym, 1993), p. 195.
[3] Information provided to NISNP by the Kazakhstan Atomic Energy Agency, 26 October 1996.
[4] "Radiation Situation on the Territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan," Aziya-Ezh, No. 47, November 1996, p. 23; in "Kazakhstan: Results of Radioactive Contamination Study," FBIS-SOV-96-252-S.{Entered 11/6/2000 KB}
929th State Test Flight Center (Taysoygan)
The 929th State Test Flight Center, also known as Taysoygan or Vladimirovka, is comprised of three sections in Atyrau, Mangystau, and Western Kazakhstan Oblasts. The territory is used to test aviation technology and various types of weapons for all branches of the military. Kazakhstan leases Taysoygan's facilities and combat training grounds to Russia.
Sources:
[1] Ivan Safronov, "Kazakhstan Does Not Want To Be on Friendly Terms With the Test Ranges: it Wants to Sell Them," Kommersant, 15 June 2000, p. 2; in "Kazakhs Weary of Russian Military Leases," FBIS Document CEP20000615000322.
[2] Musa Satayev, "Rossiya khochet ispytat Kazakhstan . . . raketami," Ekspress K, 30 May 2000; in Eurasia Website, http://www.eurasia.org.ru/2000/ka_press/05_30_Vnp0529.htm.
[3] Kanat Shaymerdenov, "Nesmotrya na to, chto deputaty ne ratifitsirovali soglasheniya ob arende Rossiyey poligonov, oni vskore dolzhny blagopoluchno proyti cherez mazhilis," Panorama online edition, http://www.panorama.kz, No. 24 (390), 16 June 2000.
[4] "Kazakhstan Ratifies Agreements on Russia's Use of Testing Ranges," Monitor--A Daily Briefing on the Post-Soviet States, Vol. VI, Issue 130, 5 July 2000; in Jamestown Foundation Website, http://www.jamestown.org.{Entered 8/28/2000 KB}
Seismic Programs
Nuclear explosions were conducted for seismic sounding of the earth's crust under three programs: Batolit, Meridian, and Region.[1,2,3] In 1972, three nuclear charges were exploded in Western Kazakhstan and Kostanay Oblasts under the Region program. In 1973, three nuclear charges were exploded in Kzyl-Orda, Zhezkazgan, Karaganda, and Kostanay Oblasts under the Meridian program. In 1987, one nuclear charge was exploded in Aktyubinsk Oblast under the Batolit program.[4]
Sources:
[1] Smantay Tleubergenov, Ekologiya cheloveka (Almaty: Gylym, 1993), p. 195.
[2] Information provided to NISNP by the Kazakhstan Atomic Energy Agency, 26 October 1996.
[3] "Radiation Situation on the Territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan," Aziya-Ezh, No. 47, November 1996, p. 23; in "Kazakhstan: Results of Radioactive Contamination Study," FBIS-SOV-96-252-S.
[4] Smantay Tleubergenov, Poligony Kazakhstana (Almaty: Gylym, 1997), pp. 55, 134.{Updated 11/6/2000 KB}
Archived Test Site Developments
12/10/2002: SS-19 LAUNCH FROM BAYKONUR
On 10 December 2002, the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces launched a UR-100NUTTKh [NATO designation SS-19 'Stiletto'] ICBM from the Baykonur Cosmodrome. At the time of launch the missile was more than 25 years old.[1] The missile was launched in full six-warhead configuration. The dummy warheads landed on the Kura range on Russia's Kamchatka peninsula.[2]
Sources:
[1] "S kosmodroma Baykonur uspeshno osushchestvlen pusk mezhkontinentalnoy ballisticheskoy rakety," ITAR-TASS, 10 December 2002; in Integrum Techno, http://www.integrum.com.
[2] "Uchebno-boyevoy pusk mezhkontinentalnoy rakety zavershilsya udachno," Regions.Ru Web Site, 10 December 2002; in Integrum Techno, http://www.integrum.com. {Entered 1/10/2003 MJ}
10/7/2002: ABM INTERCEPTOR LAUNCHED FROM SARY-SHAGAN
ITAR-TASS reported on 7 October 2002 that the Russian military had successfully launched a "long-range" anti-ballistic missile (ABM) interceptor of unspecified type from the Sary-Shagan testing range. (See the 10/7/2002 and 9/30/2002 entries in the Russia: Strategic C3 and ABM Developments file for further information.)
[Vladislav Kuznetsov, "Ocherednoy tekhnicheskiy resurs nakhodyashchikhsya na boyevom dezhurstve rossiyskikh protivoraket prodlen do trekh let," ITAR-TASS, 7 October 2002; in Integrum Techno, http://www.integrum.com.] {Entered 12/12/2002 EMC}
8/7/2002: AZGYR NUCLEAR TESTING GROUND DECLARED SAFE
Yerbolat Akhmetov, laboratory director of the Institute of Nuclear Physics at the National Nuclear Center, announced that the former nuclear test site at Azgyr is now safe for the population. According to Akhmetov, radioactive soil from the site has been collected and placed in special repositories. Recultivation efforts are currently under way. Scientists have suggested conducting future research on groundwater and oil deposits at the site.
[Interfax, 7 August 2001; in "Kazakhstan. Territoriya byvshego yadernogo poligona Azgyr bezopasna," Byulleten po atomnoy energetike, October 2001.]{Entered 03/01/2002 YP}
5/25/2001: IMPROVEMENTS AND PROBLEMS NOTED AT SARY-SHAGAN TESTING SITE
On 25 May 2001, Nezavisimoye voyennoye obozreniye reported that Sary-Shagan, a Russian ABM testing site operating under a 10-year lease from Kazakhstan, is suffering from social support problems affecting its personnel.The Sary-Shagan test site was established in 1956 as the 10thState Scientific Research Testing Range where missiles used for ABM systems, air defenses, and laser weapons were tested. It was the only Soviet ABM test site permitted under the 1972 ABM Treaty.Sary-Shagan's facilities fell into disrepair due to a lack of funding between 1990 and 1997. In 1998, work began at Sary-Shagan to restore its capabilities, enabling it to resume some test activities.[1] On 2 November 1999, a close intercept anti-ballistic missile was test-launched from Sary-Shagan.[2]Another test of an ABM missile was reported on 2 May 2001.[3] However, Sary-Shagan is still suffering from a range of social problems. Due to its ambiguous legal status as a Russian-controlled facility in Kazakhstan, basic services such as transportation, child support, and medical care are not being provided to personnel assigned there. According to Nezavisimoye voyennoye obozreniye, the absence of basic services is threatening the morale and effectiveness of personnel at Sary-Shagan.[1]
Sources:
[1] Sergey Sokut, "Poligon boretsya s proizvolom chinovnikov: Vazhneyshiy obekt rossiyskoy PRO dlya moskovskikh byurokratov ne sushchestvuyet," Nezavisimoye voyennoye obozreniye online edition, http://nvo.ng.ru, 25 May 2001.
[2] Sergey Sokut, "Dialogue with Help of Missiles. Russia has Made Countermove to U.S. Preparations To Deploy Missile Defense System," Nezavisimaya gazeta, 16 November 1999, p. 6; in "Russia Test Seen as Response to US NMD," FBIS Document FTS199911117999294.
[3] "Kazakhstan-RVSN," ITAR-TASS, 2 May 2001; in Integrum Techno, http://www.integrum.ru. {Entered 6/6/01 RG}
11/1/2000: RUSSIA LAUNCHES AN SS-19 MISSILE FROM BAYKONUR
On 1 November 2000 the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces launched an RS-18 ICBM [NATO designation SS-19 'Stiletto'] from a silo at the Baykonur test site in Kazakhstan. The 25-year-old missile hit its training target at the Kura testing ground on the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia. This follows the launch of an RS-20 ICBM [NATO designation SS-18 'Satan'] with five satellites from Baykonur in September/October 2000.
["Russian Strategic Rocket Forces Launch RS-18 Intercontinental Ballistic Missile," Interfax, 1 November 2000.]{Entered 11/14/2000 NA}
6/28/2000: KAZAKHSTAN RATIFIES AGREEMENTS ON RUSSIA'S USE OF TEST RANGES
On 28 June 2000 Kazakhstan's parliament ratified a set of agreements leasing the following four military test ranges to Russia: Sary-Shagan, Emba, the 929th Flight Test Center, and facilities associated with Russia's Kapustin Yar Test Site. The agreements are valid for 10 years from ratification. Russia will pay Kazakhstan $27.5 million in rent each year, $24.3 million of which will be in-kind payments in the form of military training and supplies.
["Kazakhstan Ratifies Agreements on Russia's Use of Testing Ranges," Monitor--A Daily Briefing on the Post-Soviet States, Vol. VI, Issue 130, 5 July 2000; in Jamestown Foundation Website, http://www.jamestown.org.]{Entered 8/28/2000 KB}
11/99: RUSSIAN TROOPS MOVE FROM EMBA TO KAPUSTIN YAR
In November 1999 the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces completed the relocation of personnel, military property, and technical equipment from Emba to Kapustin Yar, Astrakhan Oblast, Russia, and ended their lease of the test site.
["Ispytatelnyy poligon 'Emba' perekocheval iz Kazakhstana v Rossiyu," Krasnaya zvezda, 20 November 1999, p. 1; in WPS Oborona i bezopasnost, No. 138, 24 November 1999.] {Entered 12/3/99 CC}
11/2/99: ABM MISSILE TEST AT SARY SHAGAN
Against the background of the ongoing US-Russian dispute over possible amendments to the ABM Treaty, the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces (SRF) on 2 November 1999 launched a 53T6 [NATO name 'Gazelle'] short-range interceptor missile at the Sary-Shagan testing range in Kazakhstan.[1] According to SRF Commander-in-Chief Colonel General Vladimir Yakovlev, it was the first test launch of its kind since 1993. The 53T6 missile is used to equip the A-135 anti-ballistic missile system deployed around Moscow. According to Jane's Intelligence Review, this missile has an effective intercepting range of 80km and is armed with an AA-84 thermonuclear warhead.[3] The Moscow anti-ballistic missile system includes the full complement of 100 interceptor missiles permitted by the ABM Treaty. The system has a dual defense against ballistic missiles. According to the Washington Post, "if radars spot incoming missiles, Russia could launch up to 36 longer-range SH-11 Gorgon missiles. Should any missiles penetrate this layer, the system also has 64 short-range SH-08 Gazelle missiles, which are quick-reaction, high-acceleration interceptors."[2] The missile tested was withdrawn from combat duty in a silo launcher near Moscow and transferred to Kazakhstan for the test launch. Yakovlev said that the aim of the test was to extend the missile system's service life, adding that its success confirmed the combat readiness of the interceptor missile, and extend its planned service life by 12.5 years.[1,3] Interfax reported that this statement suggests that the missiles involved in the test have been deployed for some time.[4,2] Ivan Safranchuk, an analyst with the PIR Center for Policy Studies in Russia, said that the test served as a reminder that Russia has an operational missile defense system, and that it may decide to modernize it. Yakovlev himself pointed out that the test should be viewed as illustrating a possible symmetrical and asymmetrical response by Russia to US plans to deploy limited national missile defenses.[5] According to Reuters, an anonymous US State Department Official said that the United States found the test launch "distressing," and that "Russia is raising the specter of an arms competition when what we're trying to do is work cooperatively with them to focus on rogue states." In his public comments on the Russian test, US Defense Secretary William Cohen said that he was not sure what point Russia was trying to make with its test. "It only proves they have an Anti-Ballistic Missile system, which we do not, " Cohen said. [6] The United States briefly deployed an ABM system at Grand Forks, North Dakota, but dismantled it over 20 years ago.
Sources:
[1] Nikolai Novichkov, "Test aimed at extending missile life," Jane's Defense Weekly, 10 November 1999, p. 4.
[2] David Hoffman, "Russia Test-Fires Interceptor Missile; Military Lobs Warning Shot to Counter Talk of U.S. National Defense System," Washington Post, 4 November 1999, p. A25; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, http://web.lexis-nexis.com.
[3] Steven J. Zaloga, "Moscow's ABM shield continues to crumble," Jane's Intelligence Review, February 1999, p. 12.
[4] "Russian Anti-Missile Rocket Tested in Kazakhstan," Interfax, 3 November 1999.
[5] Vladimir Isachenkov, "Russia highlights its forces amid war of nerves on nuclear treaty," Associated Press, 5 November 1999; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, http://web.lexis-nexis.com.
[6] "Unconfirmed Russian Missile Test Underscores ABM Tensions," Monitor, 5 November 1999. {Entered 11/22/99 EV}
7/31/99: RUSSIAN FORCES AT EMBA WILL TRANSFER TO KAPUSTIN YAR
At a meeting of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces Military Council in Kapustin Yar on 31 July 1999, Strategic Missile Forces Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Yakovlev announced a decision to withdraw Russian troops and missile test equipment from the Emba test site and relocate them to Kapustin Yar by December 1999. Yakovlev noted that the Kapustin Yar facility was 70 percent ready for the transfer, but work in some areas would have to be accelerated to meet the December deadline. The closure of the Emba test range will save Russia $4.7 million in rent annually. Yakovlev added that without the missile test and space launch programs at Kapustin Yar, Russia "will have no say in the 21st century."
[Russian Television Network, 31 July 1999; in "Kapustin Yar, Emba to be Merged," FBIS Document FTS19990806000869.] {entered 8/17/99 FW}
2/4/99: WESTERN KAZAKHSTAN ALLOCATES FUNDS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
Western Kazakhstan Oblast allocated about $23,500 of its budget for environmental research in two districts bordering Kapustin Yar, a former Russian missile testing site suspected of being a source of radiation and pollution. The allocation of research funds follows a proposal by regional legislators and the local environmental group Naryn. Naryn leader Kaken Kubeisinov says that the group possesses documents with research data indicating that a large part of Western Kazakhstan is polluted with radionuclides, heavy metals, and highly toxic missile fuel. According to Kubeisinov, environmental research programs planned for Kapustin Yar between 1995 and 1997 were never carried out due to lack of funds.
["Radiation Around Russian Missile Facility in Kazakhstan to be Checked," Interfax-Kazakhstan, 4 February 1999.] {entered 2/23/99 RC}
5/12/98: KAZAKHSTAN, RUSSIA DIFFER OVER TERMS OF RENT FOR TEST SITES
On 12 May 1998, Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed laws on the ratification of an agreement between Kazakhstan and Russia on the rent for military test ranges located in Kazakhstan.[1] However, the two countries still disagree on the terms of payment. In 1995, Russia and Kazakhstan agreed that Russia will pay $27.5 million per year to lease the Sary-Shagan, Emba, Vladimirovka test ranges, and facilities associated with Russia's Kapustin Yar Test Site. Russia, which has not paid the rent for the bases since the signing of the agreement, contends that this rent should be automatically deducted from Kazakhstan's $1.8 billion debt to Russia, while Kazakhstan demands the rent be paid in currency. Kazakhstan may be open to a compromise under which $24.3 million of the annual rent be paid in the form of weapons and military equipment, possibly including antiaircraft systems and Su-25, Su-27, and MiG-29 aircraft, with the remaining $3.2 million to be paid in currency. The terms of payment are likely to remain a contentious issue between the two countries.[2]
Sources:
[1] Rossiysakya gazeta, 12 May 1998, p. 5; in "Kazakhstan Test Site Leasing Agreements Ratified," FBIS-UMA-98-132.
[2] Ivan Safronov, "Rossiya rasplatitsya s Kazakhstanom oruzhiem," Kommersant-Daily, online edition, 1 April 1998.{entered 9/3/98 FW}
5/1/97: PARLIAMENTARIAN CRITICIZES REPORT
Engels Gabbasov, chairman of the Kazakhstani Joint Parliamentary Commission on Test Ranges criticized a document, commissioned by President Nazarbayev, concerning the proposed closure of all test ranges on Kazakhstani territory. Gabbasov claims that the document, which was to include an unbiased, comprehensive study of the effects of military and technical tests on the population and the environment, is not truly comprehensive, and presents a diminished picture of the negative consequences of these test ranges.
[Engels Gabbasov, "A Difference of Perception," Ekspress, 1 May 1997, p. 2; in "Call for Closure of Test Ranges," FBIS-SOV-97-162, 11 June 1997.] {Ent 8/16/97 LBN}
2/4/97: KAZAKHSTANI PARLIAMENT REFUSES TO RATIFY THE LEASE OF MILITARY TEST SITES
The Kazakhstani parliament refused to ratify an agreement on Russia's use of four military test sites in Kazakhstan that was signed by Kazakhstani Prime Minister Akezhan Kazhegeldin and Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin on 18 October 1996. Deputy Sharip Omarov noted that damage caused by nuclear testing during the Soviet era has cost the Kazakhstani government $115 million since 1991. Omarov also said that once Kazakhstanbecomes a non-nuclear state, the next step would be to ban conventional weapons testing on the country's soil.
[OMRI Daily Digest, Vol. 3, No. 25, 5 February 1997.] {Entered 2/20/97 GB}
12/11/96: KAZAKHSTANI SENATOR ON RUSSIA'S MILITARY TESTS IN KAZAKHSTAN
In an interview with Kazakhstanskaya pravda, Senator Engels Gabbasov of the Kazakhstani parliamentary committee for foreign affairs, defense, and security, called for the closure of the Kazakhstani section of the Kapustin Yar missile test site and other testing grounds leased to Russia. Kazakhstani-Russian agreements to prolong the use of four military sites in Kazakhstan were signed on 18 October 1996. Gabbasov stated that Kapustin Yar and other military test sites in Kazakhstan have been used for 50 years; 11 atmospheric nuclear explosions were conducted at Kapustin Yar and 17 underground nuclear explosions at the Azgyr test site. The leased area, comprising over 110,000 square km stretching from Lake Balkhash to the western border, which includes testing ranges for air strike targets and missiles, is excluded from air and land transportation and economic activities and is polluted by heavy metals and remains of heptyl (liquid rocket propellant). No reclamation work has been done at the Azgyr test site after Russian guards left it in March 1996. Gabbasov also did not rule out the possibility that biological tests were carried out in Western Kazakhstan in the past, recalling widespread epidemic among animals in the summers of 1981 and 1982 in the Atyrau and Western Kazakhstan regions.
Sources:
[1] Kazakhstanskaya pravda, 11 December 1996, pp. 1,5, in "Kazakhstan: Call For End to Russian Military Tests," FBIS-SOV-96-252, 11 December 1996.
[2] Merhat Sharipzhan, "Kazakh Russian Military Cooperation," NISNP E-mail correspondence, 1 November 1996.] {Entered 1/30/97 GB}
10/18/96: RUSSIA TO CONTINUE USE OF KAZAKHSTANI MILITARY TEST SITES
Kazakhstani Prime Minister Akezhan Kazhegeldin and Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin signed four agreements on continuing the Russian use of four military sites in Kazakhstan for a ten-year period. The test sites are Emba, Sary-Shagan, Central Military Test Site No. 4 (part of Kapustin Yar), and 929th State Test Flight Center. Russia is supposed to pay $26.5 million annually for the lease of the sites which it wants to pay in kind, by supplying military equipment and technologies and training Kazakhstani students at Russian military schools. However, Kazakhstani opposition leaders felt that Russia might fail to pay the rent, as it has never paid its $115 million annual payment for the use of the Baykonur cosmodrome, claiming that Kazakhstan owes more than $400 million to Moscow.
Sources:
[1]Merhat Sharipzhan, "Kazakh Russian Military Cooperation," NISNP E-mail correspondence, 1 November 1996].
[2] OMRI Daily Digest, Vol. 3, No. 25, 5 February 1997.{Entered 1/30/97 GB}
6/25/96: UNDERGROUND RESERVOIRS CREATED BY NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS DEFORMED, FILLING WITH WATER
It was reported that an underground storage area at the Karachaganak oil and gas condensate deposit, which was created by a nuclear explosion [at the Lira site], has been filled by groundwater. Local environmental authorities are concerned about the possibility that the radiation-contaminated water may leak from the underground storage area. Another Karachaganak storage area has been in danger of being penetrated by groundwater since 1990. At the Galit site, five of the underground storage areas created by nuclear explosions have also been filled with a salt solution. The deformation of underground reservoirs at the neighboring Russian Astrakhan deposit started in 1986, and has been classified as a "radiation accident of the III class" by Russia's Gosatomnadzor.
Sources:
[1] Boris Kuznetsov, "Mertvaya voda Karachaganaka," Kazakhstanskaya pravda, 25 June 1996, p. 2.
[2] Vadim Kantor, "Atomshchikov raduyet antiyadernoye dvizheniye," Segodnya, No. 131, 25 July 1996, p. 9.
[3] "Radiation Situation on the Territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan," Aziya-Ezh, No. 47, November 1996, p. 23, in "Kazakhstan: Results of Radioactive Contamination Study," FBIS-SOV-96-252-S. {Entered 7/96 GB, Updated 8/23/96, 1/31/97 GB, 5/19/99 FW}
