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

Mirzayanov, if his words can be believed [comrades Chekists, you know what conclusions to make, if we don’t—V.M.] pursued the same objective. Mirzayanov reacted positively to the appearance of the article “Poisoned Policies.” He was satisfied that it had been published.

Question: Specify for what publications Mirzayanov had given you the two remaining manuscripts that were confiscated.

Answer: On approximately September 23 of this year, in response to the article “Poisoned Policies”, an article was published by of correspondent Litovkin in the evening edition of the newspaper “Izvestia.” Mirzayanov and I decided to prepare another article in response to the article by Litovkin. In connection with this, Mirzayanov wrote the manuscript starting with the words “Dear editor…” and finishing with the words “…all Russians” and then gave the text to me.

In connection with this, since I had no time for a literary elaboration of Mirzayanov’s text, the article wasn’t prepared for us and wasn’t published [underlined by me—V.M.].

The manuscript beginning with the words “on finishing the second…” and finishing with the words “…survival of mankind” was prepared by Mirzayanov and we planned to publish it in one of the local newspapers in Volgograd, where there is a plant that produces chemical weapons, and there are plans to destroy such existing weapons there. In our opinion, chemical weapons should be destroyed where they are stored, not hauled to the production plants. However, we didn’t have time to publish that article, either. Fedorov wrote: I have read the interrogation report. My testimony has been transcribed accurately in the report. I can’t make any alterations or additions to the report.

Interrogator:

Head of the Section of the Investigation

Department at the MB RF,

Lieutenant Colonel of Justice

N.I. Fanin

Top Secret

Moscow

October 23, 1992

Captain of Justice Shkarin, Senior Investigator of the Investigation Department of the Ministry of Security of the Russian Federation, interrogated the suspect Vil Sultanovich Mirzayanov, born on March 9, 1935 in the village Stary Kangysh, Djirtjuli Region, Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (other details are to be found in the case), in his office observing the requirements stipulated in Articles 123, 150-152 of RSFSR of the Criminal Code.

The interrogation started at 2.25 P.M.

The interrogation finished at 4.45 P.M.

Question: Do you request the presence of a lawyer at today’s interrogation?

Answer: I don’t need the presence of a lawyer at today’s interrogation.

Question: During the search of Lev Aleksandrovich Fedorov’s apartment a manuscript was confiscated starting with the words “Chemical Sharashka in Moscow is Waiting for Help from America” and finishing with the words “Doctors of Chemical Sciences Vil Mirzayanov, L. Fedorov”, also were confiscated – a manuscript starting with the words “After the end of the Second World War” and finishing with the words “…survival of mankind;” and a manuscript starting with the words “Dear editor…” and finishing with the words “…all Russians.” What clarification can you give regarding these texts?

Answer: I attentively examined the texts that were presented to me and I can say that I wrote all of them in the period from the end of August until the beginning of October of 1992. I wrote the text starting with words “Chemical Sharashka in Moscow is Waiting for Help from America” at the end of August 1992 for publication in the mass media. I wrote it after I read an article by L. A. Fedorov, Doctor of Chemical Science, in the paper “Sovershenno Sekretno.” The article was about the problems of environmental contamination by dioxins and chemical agents. It’s hard for me to remember the name of the article. It seemed to me that the questions Fedorov touched on in this article were pressing and were consistent with my own thoughts. The editor’s office gave me Fedorov’s telephone number. I called him and we agreed to meet. We met at some point a few days later. I wasn’t acquainted with Fedorov before that time. We exchanged opinions and decided to write a joint article, in which we would elaborate on the topics I touched upon in the article “Inversion” in the October 10, 1991 issue of the newspaper “Kuranty”. We agreed that I would write an article and Fedorov would then supplement it with his materials and would arrange for its publication with the editors of one of the newspapers. Over the next week or so, I wrote an article called “Chemical Sharashka in Moscow is Waiting for Help from America.” and took it to Fedorov. This article was published in the newspaper “Moscow News” on September 20, 1992 under the title “Poisoned Policies” with some necessary additions and abridgements made to my version. The changes to the text concerned personal aspects and the technical side connected with the full degasification of chemical agents when they were destroyed. The information, about the creation of a new chemical agent at the Russian State Science Research Institute for Organic Chemistry and Technology, and the development of binary weapons based on it, is presented in the article in full as it was in the manuscript. In my conversation with Fedorov, I gave him the same information about the new agent and binary weapons. I have never given any additional information to anyone about new chemical agents and binary weapons, other than what was presented in the article “Poisoned Policies,” either orally or in writing. I gave two other texts to Fedorov at the beginning of October of this year for further work on publications in the mass media. I did not put any information in them about the new chemical agent or binary weapons.

I read through the transcript of the interrogation. My testimony is written down correctly. I have no additions or amendments.

The suspect was interrogated and the transcript was compiled by

Senior Investigator of the Investigation Department

at the MB RF,

Captain of Justice

V.A. Shkarin

Top Secret

Moscow

October 28, 1992

Captain of Justice Shkarin, Senior Investigator of the Investigation Department at the Ministry of Security of the Russian Federation, interrogated the suspect, VIL SULTANOVICH MIRZAYANOV, born on March 9, 1935 in the village Stary Kangysh, Djirtjuli region, Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (other personal details are to be found in the case), in his office observing requirements stipulated in Articles 123, 150-152 of the RSFSR Criminal Code.

The interrogation started at 10.40 A.M.

The interrogation finished at 12.40 P.M.

Question: Do you request the presence of a lawyer at today’s interrogation?

Answer: The investigator explained to me that my wife Nuria Khalitovna Mirzayanova made an agreement for my defense with Alexander Yakovlevich Asnis, a lawyer from Legal Advice Office N 10. He didn’t produce a permit to work with classified documents and wasn’t allowed to participate in the case. To the best of my knowledge, there are no other hindrances that prevent Alexander Ya. Asnis from participating in the case. I don’t need a lawyer at today’s interrogation. I decline the services of lawyer Leonid Grigorievich Belomestnykh.

Question: Did you give information about the development of chemical weapons in Russia to the mass media, apart from the editors of the newspaper “Moscow News”?