Russia has begun disposal of mixtures of lewisite and mustard blister agents at a chemical weapons disposal factory in the Kirov Region, RIA Novosti reported yesterday (see GSN, Nov. 19).
"Work has started at the Maradykovsky facility to destroy mustard-lewisite mixtures," said regional official Mikhail Manin. "Two and a half [metric] tons of this dangerous substance has been destroyed by now."
A total of 150.1 metric tons of mustard-lewisite mixtures, contained in 277 units of ammunition, is set to be eliminated at the facility, Manin said.
In November, the site finished disposing of 232.6 metric tons of the nerve agent sarin (RIA Novosti, Dec. 9).
Russia is slightly ahead of its chemical warfare material destruction schedule, having already destroyed 45 percent of its 39,967-metric-ton stockpile as required under the Chemical Weapons Convention by the end of the year, Interfax reported. The country reached the 45-percent point on Nov. 26 and has pledged to destroy all of its chemical weapons by the convention deadline of April 29, 2012 (Interfax, Dec. 9).