Background
At the end of the Soviet era, the Russian Federation inherited a massive arsenal of chemical weapons (CW). Indeed, at approximately 40,000 metric tonnes, Russia's declared stockpile of Category I chemical weapons is the world's largest. Destroying these weapons, as Russia has undertaken to do pursuant to Articles I, IV and V of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), will be both a costly (an estimated 11 billion Canadian dollars) and lengthy undertaking.
The CWC requires all States Parties possessing chemical weapons to destroy them in a safe and environmentally friendly manner. While a State Party may select and apply the appropriate destruction methods for its chemical weapons, certain methods (i.e. dumping in any body of water, land burial, or open pit burning) are not permitted.
The CWC, which also determines the rate and the sequence of chemical weapons destruction (CWD), stipulates that final destruction of national stockpiles is to be accomplished not later than 10 years after the Convention's entry into force (i.e. by 29 April 2007).
In exceptional circumstances however, a five year extension of this deadline may be granted a (i.e. 29 April 2012). The Russian Federation has formally requested this extension. In October 2005, the Russian Government adopted a revised chemical weapons destruction plan, which outlines how Russia plans to achieve 100% destruction by 2012. Destruction of all CW is to be verified through the continuous on-site presence of inspectors from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
Russia's Stockpile
Russia's chemical weapons are stored at seven facilities, six of which are located west of the Ural Mountains and one east. Five of these sites are repositories for deadly Organophosphorous agents (i.e. nerve agents) such as Sarin, Soman and VX (approximately 32,500 metric tonnes, or 80% of Russia's total CW stockpile). Two others house the Vesicants (i.e. blister agents) mustard, lewisite and lewisite/mustard mixture (roughly 5,500 metric tonnes, or 20% of the total stockpile). While most of the nerve agents remain in their weapons casings -- including artillery shells, rocket and missile warheads, aerial bombs and spray tanks -- the blistering agents are stored in bulk containers.
International Assistance
Russia's chemical weapons pose serious security and proliferation threats. If these weapons were to fall into the hands of terrorists, the potential casualties could be extremely high. Given the enormity and urgency of the task of eliminating Russia's CW arsenal, Canada and other members of the Global Partnership -- Belgium, Czech Republic, European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, New Zeland, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States -- are providing assistance to Russia to build the facilities necessary to safely destroy its chemical weapons stockpile.
Russia's first chemical weapons destruction facility (CWDF) was established
US Senator Richard Lugar with an 85mm chemical shell in a briefcase, Shchuch'ye, December 2000 - Photo courtesy of Senator Lugar |
at Gorny with significant assistance from Germany as well as the European Union, Finland and The Netherlands. The Gorny destruction facility commenced operations in December 2003, and completed destruction of the site's 1125 tonne blister agent stockpile in December 2005. Germany also played a key role in construction of the destruction facility at Kambarka; the European Union, Finland, The Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland contributed as well. The Kambarka facility commenced destruction of the site's blister agent stockpile in March 2006. Russia's five nerve agent destruction facilities are scheduled to become operational between 2006-2009.
International support for Russian CW destruction under the Global Partnership will enhance international security and safety by helping to prevent terrorists or those that harbour them, from acquiring or developing chemical weapons and/or related materials, equipment and technology. And by helping Russia to meet its CWC obligations, the Global Partnership also promises to strengthen multilateral non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament efforts.
Canadian Contributions
2000-2002
Canada considers the Shchuch'ye chemical weapons destruction facility (CWDF) the top CW priority, as it will destroy Russia's most lethal and human-portable (i.e. proliferation prone) chemical weapons. The arsenal consists of 5,440 tonnes of the deadly nerve agents Sarin, Soman and VX, which are stored in more than 1.9 million artillery and rocket-launched munitions. The artillery shells pose a particular risk because they are small enough to be carried and are thus especially attractive to terrorists. The Shchuch'ye arsenal has the potential to kill everyone on earth several times over.
Before the Global Partnership was formed, Canada contributed $5.35 million to the construction of the Shchuch'ye facility. In 2000 and 2001, Canada contributed $350,000 for the development of design documentation for a 3.89 km access road to the site's industrial area, design and partial construction of 10kV and 110kV power lines to supply electrical power to the CDWF, and reconstruction of a spillway structure on the Chumlyachka River. In 2002, Canada also contributed $5 million directly to the Russian Munitions Agency (RMA) which was used partially to fund (together with Italy) a 105 km natural gas pipeline. The pipeline project was concluded successfully in September 2003.
In September 2004, Canada authorised the Federal Agency for Industry (formerly the Russian Munitions Agency) to apply $330,000 remaining from Canada's $5 million contribution in 2002 to the construction of a 1.319 kilometre patrol road at Shchuch'ye.
Canada's Global Partnership Projects
As an initial project under the Global Partnership, Canada is contributing up to $33 million for construction of an 18km railway connecting the chemical weapons storage depot near Planovy to the destruction facility at Shchuch'ye. The rail spur is required to transport safely and securely the approximately 1.9 million chemical munitions located at Shchuch'ye from storage to destruction. Canada is contributing the funds for this Project through the United Kingdom's bilateral agreement with Russia. On 19 November 2003, Canada and the United Kingdom signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the contribution, under which the United Kingdom is responsible for implementing the Project, in partnership and consultation with Canada. After an extensive planning phase, Railway construction commenced in March 2006; it will take approximately 22 months to complete.
On 7 February 2005, Canada signed a contribution agreement with the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI). Under this agreement, NTI is contributing (US) $1 million to support construction of the railroad at Shchuch'ye. NTI's funds are being applied to the construction of a bridge across the Miass River.
On 18 January 2005, Canada and the United Kingdom signed a second Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Moscow on co-operation to support Russia in destroying its chemical weapons stocks. This MoU provides the framework for Canada to make further significant financial contributions to the construction of the Shchuch'ye facility, including $10 million for further key industrial infrastructure projects at Shchuch'ye. These projects include construction of a local public address system (to provide timely information to area residents in the event of an incident leading to the leak of chemicals at the Shchuch'ye facility) and construction of inter-site communications lines. Both of these projects are scheduled to be completed by Spring 2007.
In October 2005, Canada announced an additional $55 million to finance the provision of the vast majority of equipment for installation within the second main destruction building (MDB-2) at the Shchuch'ye facility. Canadian funds, which are flowing through the second Canada-UK MoU, are being used by the UK to purchase specified Russian-built equipment needed to destroy nerve agent munitions within MDB-2. MDB-2 will double the CW destruction capacity of the Shchuch'ye facility and contribute directly to the earliest possible destruction of the site's deadly nerve agent stockpile. Equipment to be funded by Canada includes MDB-2's two demilitarization process lines (DPLs), catalytic reactors (filters), munitions thermal treatment demilitarization process line (MTTDPL) and the treatment area for leaking munitions It is anticipated that most of these projects will be completed by March 2007.
Canada is also supporting the efforts of Green Cross International to provide independent and objective information about Russia's chemical weapons destruction programme to the populations living in the vicinity of Russia’s chemical weapons storage and destruction facilities. Green Cross's network of outreach offices facilitates grassroots understanding and education about chemical disarmament projects and addresses public concerns and anxieties about related health, environment, economic and social issues. In November 2004, Canada committed to provide US$100,000 per year for four years to fund the establishment and operation of a Green Cross Public Outreach Office in Izhevsk (Udmurt Republic). Support for an outreach office at Izhevsk will increase awareness about Russian plans and programmes to destroy nerve agents stockpiled at the nearby Kizner Chemical Weapons Storage Facility (CWSF). It will also directly complement and support current Canadian efforts to destroy nerve agent stored at Shchuch'ye, as the chemical weapons stored at Kizner are very similar to those stored at Shchuch'ye. The Izhevsk office opened officially on 20 June 2005.
In March 2006, Canada and the UK published a joint pamphlet for the local population (in Russian only) to provide information on Canadian and UK projects being implemented at or near the Shchuch'ye Chemical Weapons Destruction Facility. The pamphlet is being distributed by Green Cross Russia through its network of public outreach offices near Russia's chemical weapons storage and destruction facilities.
International Partnership at Shchuch'ye
At the G8 Sea Island Summit in June 2004, Canada and Russia signed a bilateral treaty which provided the legal framework under which Canada can implement CWD projects. However, Canada and the United Kingdom have agreed that if would be more practical, efficient and beneficial to all parties for Canada and the UK to implement projects at Shchuch'ye on a joint basis, through the UK's bilateral Chemical Weapons Destruction Agreement with Russia. This approach enables assistance to be delivered in a more timely, coordinated, efficient, practical and cost effective manner as separate management and contractual arrangements do not need to be negotiated by each party.
Canada coordinates its efforts very closely in the Chemical Weapons Destruction area with other members of the Global Partnership including on the margins of the quarterly Executive Council Meetings of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague. In addition, a Canada-Russia-UK-US Working Group for the Coordination of Policy and Construction at Shchuch'ye was formed in 2003. The group, which meets quarterly in Russia, facilitates the effort of the four nations most directly involved in the management of the construction of the Shchuch'ye facility to inform each other of key national policy decisions and to inform and coordinate construction activities. Close coordination with other donors to Russian CWD, particularly with those engaged at Shchuch'ye, has proven invaluable to Canada to date, as it has, inter alia, facilitated the resolution of project implementation problems, led to the identification of potential problems areas and best practices and allowed the timely and regular exchange and discussion of critical project information.
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