Вил Мирзаянов - State Secrets - An Insider's Chronicle of the Russian Chemical Weapons Program

This appointment is not an error, but the restoration of the System. And all of us must know and know and remember this.

Top Secret

Copy 1

To A.I. Tselikovsky,

Head of the Department for Economic Security

of the Security Ministry of the Russian Federation

October 1, 1992 N 1594 ss

The issue N. 38 of September 20, 1992 of the newspaper “Moscow News”, published an article “Poisoned Policies” signed by Vil Mirzayanov and Lev Fedorov, Doctors of Chemical Science, which contains information about scientific research and experimental design work (NIOKR) that is carried out in our country in the field of chemical weapons. According to the conclusion of the Permanent Technical Commission (PDTK) at GRNIIOKhT, these publications include pieces of information, which are top secret and constitute a state secret. [The Russian language version of the Moscow News article title translates as “Poisoned Policies”, while the English language edition was published as “A Poisoned Policy.”]

One of the authors, Vil Sultanovich Mirzayanov, born in 1935 in the village Stary Kangysh, Djirtjuli Region, Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, a Bashkir, with higher education, Doctor of Chemical Science, was an employee at GSNIIOKhT from 1965 to January of 1992. He served as the head of the Department for Foreign Technical Counterintelligence [PDITR] from September of 1986 to August of 1990, had access through Form 1 to the secret of special importance and to top secret documents of the “Foliant” program.

By virtue of his work responsibilities, Vil S. Mirzayanov was well-informed about the system of the organization, trends, and results of NIOKR work in the field of chemical weapons.

I forward to you the resolution of the PDTK of the institute and the list of functional responsibilities of Vil S. Mirzayanov, as the head of the PD ITR Department to decide whether criminal proceedings should be instituted according to Article 75 of the RSFSR Criminal Code “Disclosing state secrets.”

1. Resolution of the PDTK, mk 1587 ss, copy 1, 2 on three pages each, top secret.

2. List of functional responsibilities of Vil S. Mirzayanov, mk 1572 ss, copy 1, 2 on three pages each, top secret.

Top Secret

Copy 1

The Permanent Technical Commission of the Russian State Scientific Research Institute for Organic Chemistry and Technology (GRNIIOKhT) consisting of Yu. I. Baranov (Chairman), Deputy Director, M.S. in Chemistry, V.G. Zoryan, Department Head, M.D., Yu V. Skripkin, Chief Chemist, M.S. in Chemistry, and V.I. Lisitsyna and German M. Mosyakin, Department Heads, following the instructions of the director of the institute, considered the question of the degree of confidentiality of the information set forth in the article “Poisoned Policies” published in Issue N. 38 of September 20, 1992 of the newspaper “Moscow News”.

The commission was guided by:

§ The List of Major Information that constitutes a state secret (hereafter referred to as the LMI) and the statute for establishing the degree of secrecy categories of information and for classifying information to be found in works, documents, and products approved by the Resolution N 1121-387 of the U.S.S.R. Council of Ministers dated December 3, 1980;

§ The List of information subject to classification by the Office of the U.S.S.R. Ministry of Petrochemical Industry, compiled in accordance with the Resolution N 1121-387 of the Council of Ministers dated December 3, 1980 and the Order N 234-19 of the U.S.S.R. Ministry of Petrochemical Industry dated May 27, 1991 (hereinafter referred to as the List of the Ministry of Petrochemical Industry);

§ The List of information that constitutes a state secret on the “Foliant” program and other information subject to classification by the U.S.S.R. Ministry of Petrochemical Industry, in accordance with the LMI and the announced Order N 144-13 of the USSR Ministry of Petrochemical Industry dated March 25, 1991 (hereinafter referred to as the List on the “Foliant” program).

The Commission considers that the article “Poisoned Policies” published in the N 38 issue of the newspaper “Moscow News” on September 20, 1992 and signed by Vil Mirzayanov and Lev Fedorov contains the following information that constitutes a state secret.

1. “A new toxic agent has been developed at the State Scientific Research Institute for Organic Chemistry and Technology (GOSNIIOKhT). For its perfidy (“combat characteristics”) it has considerably surpassed the well-known gas VX, and injury from it is practically incurable.” (column 2, paragraph 1).

This information is true. GOSNIIOKhT (currently, GRNIIOKhT) did synthesize, studied, and tested a number of new chemical compounds of different classes that are considerably more potent than the VX gas (the substance that the U.S. is armed with) by a complex of combat characteristics, including difficulties of treatment. According to available information, the armies of the countries that possess chemical weapons are not armed with an equivalent of the above-mentioned agent. Equipping chemical ammunition with such compounds considerably increases its effectiveness.

Thus, information was disclosed about one of the latest achievements in the sphere of science and technology, that allows for increasing the potency of existing weapons (ammunition), which according to point 83 paragraph 2 of the LMI and point 5.3 of the List of the Ministry of Petrochemical Industry, is top secret and constitutes a state secret.

2. “…our own binary weapon was developed based on the new chemical agent” (column 2, paragraph 1)

This is also true. GRNIIOKhT developed its own binary weapons based on the new chemical agent and these weapons are currently being tested.

According to our sources, before this article was published, foreign states had no information about our country developing its own binary weapon.

Thus, information was divulged that discloses trends of promising applied research work carried out to strengthen the defense power of the country. According to point 85 from the list of major information and point 5.5 from the list of the Ministry of Petrochemical Industry, this information is top secret and constitutes a state secret.

3. “The State Scientific Research Institute of Organic Chemistry and Technology (GOSNIIOKhT) developed a new chemical agent.” (column 2, paragraph 1)

“The first batch of the chemical agent was produced in Volgograd…” (column 3, paragraph 3)

“In the first quarter of the current year 1992, field testing of the new binary weapons was completed. It was not done at the “exposed” test site Shikhany, but at the chemical test site on the Ustyurt Plateau near the city of Nukus.” (column 3, paragraph 2)

This information brought forth discloses the system of organization of the research aimed at developing chemical weapons. The major research Institute-designer is clearly indicated, and the locations of one of the experimental industrial bases (Volgograd) and both test sites (Shikhany and Nukus) are mentioned. That is, the author named major sites of the development of chemical weapons.

Thus, the disclosure of combined information has been revealed that divulges the cooperation of designers and manufacturers of one of the types of weapons, which, according to point 94 from the LMI and point 1.3 from the List on the Foliant program, are top secret and constitute state secrets.