Maradykovo facility destroys over 21,000 chemical weapons

08.09.2007, 23.33

NIZHNY NOVGOROD, September 8 (Itar-Tass) -- Over 21,800 aerial bombs and missile warheads were disarmed at the Maradykovsky chemical weapons disposal plant in the Kirov region last year.

This is half of hazardous substances stored at the plant, regional authorities said on Saturday.

They said all production units at the plant had worked normally, without any deviations or breaches.

"We did not receive any complaints or claims from international inspectors of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons who control compliance with technology and safety rules on a daily basis," they said.

A year ago, on September 8, 2006, the first stage of the chemical weapons disposal plant became operational in Maradykovo, Kirov region. Chemical weapons have been stored on its grounds since 1953.

Maradykovo is the third such facility in Russia after Gorny and Kambarka. Its construction was financed solely from the federal budget.

Under the national chemical disarmament programme, Russia has to destroy 17.4 percent of its stocks of chemical weapons at Maradykovo by 2012.