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

Answer: I wrote about the fact of the development of new chemical weapons in Russia in the article “Inversion” that was published in October 10, 1991 issue of the newspaper “Kuranty”. I wrote that article and took it to the editor’s office myself. I was under the impression that there was a victory by the Russian people in crushing the coup attempt. I foresaw then that the leaders of the military-industrial complex would continue the development, production, and testing of chemical weapons contrary to the national interests of Russia, despite the agreement concluded that year between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. governments to discontinue the development, production, and testing of chemical weapons, since those leaders didn’t believe then, and don’t believe now, that democratization is possible in our country. The military-chemical complex pursues its entirely selfish and profitable ends; it is still at the helm of power and feeds on the useless expenditure of people. This powerful elite is still using all its strength to try to keep the former structures together, in order to meet their above-mentioned objectives. I knew about the development of new chemical weapons in Russia, at the State Russian Science Research Institute for Organic Chemistry and Technology (GRNIIOKhT) because I worked at that institute on the problem of the development of new chemical agents. No criminal proceedings were instituted against me because of that article, and I didn’t even receive a disciplinary action. Moreover, at this time two employees of the institute, who had access to even more information about the new chemical weapons, immigrated to the U.S. and to Israel. This means that the relevant authorities and administration of the institute did not protect information about the development of the new chemical weapons in Russia. In 1991 Boris Yakovlevich Libman, former chief engineer of the Volgograd Khimprom Production Association, Deputy Director for Science at the Volgograd branch of GRNIIOKhT, immigrated to the U.S. In 1992 Yefim Lazarevich Galperin, formerly Leading Research Assistant, Doctor of Chemical Science, immigrated to Israel. I don’t know whether or not these people gave away information to foreign states about the development of new chemical weapons in Russia.

On September 15, 1992, I gave an interview to William Englund, a correspondent from the American newspaper “The Baltimore Sun”, in which I told him about almost everything contained in the whole article “Poisoned Policy” as prepared for publication in the newspaper “Moscow News;” that is, I told the correspondent that binary weapons had been developed. In the interview I stated the fact that the new chemical agent was more potent than a similar American chemical agent. I gave this interview together with Lev Aleksandrovich Fedorov.

On October 21, 1992, I signed an article for the newspaper “Argumenti i Fakty” together with Lev A. Fedorov, about the issues of production and testing of chemical weapons in Russia, destruction of its stockpiles, as well as the related problems of ecological safety. Fedorov wrote this article himself using my version of an article, which I had given to him at the beginning of September in 1992. On the same day, that is, on October 21, Fedorov and I gave an interview to Oleg Vishnyakov, a correspondent from the magazine “Novoe Vremya”. In this interview I presented my version of the nature of the new chemical agent and my version of the binary weapons that had been developed based on it. In particular, I said that about two years ago scientists from our institute had developed a new chemical agent, which by its characteristics exceeds by 5-8 times the toxicity of the currently existing chemical agents of the VX type. It causes practically incurable lesions, even if only the skin is exposed to it. Binary weapons that proved to be significantly more potent than the American binary weapons, were developed based on the new chemical agent. Each of the components of the American binary weapon taken separately is completely safe. However, one of the components of our weapon is a chemical agent.

An industrial batch of the new chemical agent was produced at the Volgograd plant. My version is based on own my intuition as a scientist who worked at GRNIIOKhT in the field of physical chemical analysis of micro-concentrations of chemical agents in various media. I was never offered and never received royalties for publishing the aforementioned articles.

I have read the interrogation transcript.

My testimony has been transcribed accurately. I don’t want to make any alterations or additions to the report.

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

On November 2, 1992 Kalinin District Court of Moscow consisting of:

Presiding Judge A. S. Schanin, with the participation of Prosecutor V.A. Buivolov and Secretary S.V. Lebedeva considered in a closed court session a complaint about the illegality and groundlessness of the arrest of Vil Sultanovich Mirzayanov, who was born on March 9, 1935 in the village of Stary Kangysh, Djirtjuli Region, Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. His permanent address is 4 Stalevarov St., Building 4, Apartment 586, Moscow. He is working as the head of the Research Department of the joint-stock company Region-Tsentr-Vozrozhdenie, Bashkir, has a higher education, married, with two children, no previous convictions, faces charges on Article 75, Part 1, of the RF Criminal Code, it is

The court has established from the complaint of the applicant and materials that have been submitted that on October 22, 1992, V. S. Mirzayanov was detained under Article 122 of RF Criminal and Procedural Code on suspicion of committing a crime stipulated by Article 75 Part 1 of the RF Criminal Code, and on the same day he (Mirzayanov) was taken into custody by RF Attorney General based on Articles 90-92, 96 of the RF Criminal and Procedural Code.

Having checked over the materials, and listened to the applicant and prosecutor, I consider it necessary to satisfy the complaint of V. S. Mirzayanov because, according to Article 89 of the RF Criminal and Procedural Code, there are no sufficient grounds to suppose that he will hide from the preliminary investigation or court, or hinder the restoration of the truth in the criminal case, or get involved in criminal activity. Additionally, he has a permanent place of residence in Moscow, has no previous convictions, has juvenile children dependent on him, and the deed he is charged with doesn’t qualify as a serious crime.

Based on the statement above and being guided by Articles 11, 220-1, 220-2, and 331 of the RF Criminal and Procedural Code, it is

To satisfy the complaint of Vil Sultanovich Mirzayanov and release him from custody into the court hall. To secure a written statement from V. S. Mirzayanov not to leave his permanent place of residence.

The resolution is final, not subject to appeal or protest.

Signatures of the judge and the secretary.

Top Secret

GENERAL ATTORNEY’S OFFICE

of the Russian Federation

To: Ministry of Security of the Russian Federation

For Major General S.D. Balashov,

Head of the Investigation Department

October 30, 1992 N 13/2-1040-92

Moscow

The lawyer A. Ya. Asnis has appealed to the Attorney General’s Office of the Russian Federation with a complaint about the decision of V. A. Shkarin, Senior Investigator of the Investigation Department of the Ministry of Security of the Russian Federation, according to which he wasn’t allowed to participate as the defender in the criminal proceedings instituted against V. S. Mirzayanov, because he had no clearance to work with secret documents.