MOSCOW, May 27. /TASS/. The Russian government has allocated the Industry and Trade Ministry 2.7 billion rubles ($40.9 million) on chemical weapons destruction this year, according to Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s resolution posted on the government’s legal information website on Friday.
The measures "to eliminate the consequences of the operation of the facilities for the storage of chemical weapons" and the facilities for their destruction are being carried out as part of the federal target program on eliminating chemical weapons stocks in Russia.
Russia still has to destroy another 6.5% of chemical weapons stocks, Head of the Federal Agency for the Safe Storage and Destruction of Chemical Weapons Valery Kalashin said on May 25. He informed in April that Russia had already destroyed over 37,000 tons of chemical agents or about 93% of its existing stocks.
The liquidation rates have now slowed down as Russia is currently destroying artillery munitions, he said.
"These are not aviation munitions we used to destroy in tons. These stocks are destroyed in grams. That is why, this process is complex and sluggish. That is why, the destruction pace is slow. But we’ll destroy everything by December 2018," the head of the Federal Agency for the Safe Storage and Destruction of Chemical Weapons said.
The Russian factories for destroying chemical weapons will complete the disposal process and will be decontaminated by 2022.
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