01 June 2004 05:52
Russian military denies reports on theft of toxic agents
"In Russia, there have been no cases of munitions loaded with
toxic agents being stolen and no cases of theft of the toxic agents
MOSCOW. June 1 (Interfax) - Reports that terrorists possess toxic agents allegedly stolen from Russia are not true,
said Lt. General Valery Kapashin, head of the federal department for the safe storage and disposal of chemical
weapons.
themselves," Kapashin said during a speech in the State Duma.
Answering a question from LDPR deputy Andrei Golovatyuk about reports from members of terrorist organizations, which
claim to possess toxic agents allegedly stolen from Russia, Kapashin said "there is a great deal of interest
regarding the chemical weapons arsenal, but there have been no cases of actual theft. We take operative measures
cooperatively with the Federal Security Agency and the Interior Ministry to prevent and investigate all attempts to
infiltrate the places where chemical weapons are being stored. So far, there have been no successful infiltration
attempts."
Earlier, Sergei Kiriyenko, the chairman of the commission on chemical disarmament and the presidential envoy in the
Volga federal region, told journalists that the financing to ensure the security of chemical weapons had been increased
by 200% in 2003.
According to experts' evaluations, the U.S. and Russia possess approximately 95% of the world's chemical
weapons. [RU EUROPE EEU ASIA EMRG MIL] aa tj <>
[Interfax] |
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