OPCW oversees effort to destroy more than 39,000 metric tons of chemical weapons in Russia

Hamid Ali Rao, Deputy Director-General for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), recently participated in a ceremony marking the completion of the full destruction of 39,967 metric tons of chemical weapons previously possessed by the Russian Federation.

Largely completed at the Kizner Chemical Weapons Destruction Facility in the Udmurt Republic, the destruction effort was launched in December 2013 by a dedicated team of specialists and support staff from both the facility’s Russian-based personnel as well as the OPCW’s Technical Secretariat. The facility will now be closed permanently.

In total, more than 5,700 metric tons of chemical agents, including sarin, soman, VX, and lewisite were rendered unusable at Kizner, the highest total destroyed at any single facility throughout the project.

During his speech to Russian officials, Rao noted the efforts of the country’s government to destroy its entire stockpile in a safe and efficient manner, recognizing the important financial and in-kind contributions made by various OPCW Member States in support of weapons destruction efforts.

With the completion of Russian destruction activities, approximately 96.3 percent of all chemical weapons stockpiles by possessor states have been destroyed under OPCW verification.

The organization serves as the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention. Entered into force in 1997, the CWC represents the most successful disarmament treaty in history targeting an entire class of weapons of mass destruction.