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

Q: But if, let us assume, this information can not be authenticated, i.e. the mentioned works were not carried out and no new chemical agents were created, how it is possible to state no damage was caused by the revelation of information which could not be authenticated?

A: I gave a common military scientific evaluation of information related to chemical agents which could cause damage for the defense capabilities of our Army. The materials presented to the Expertise don’t contain this information.

Q: There are questions to be answered, as presented in the resolution on the designation of the Expert Commission from January 11 1993, about the authenticity and degree of secrecy of information about the research work in area of chemical weapons including the question about damage caused by revelation of this information. You are speaking about a common military scientific approach for evaluating damage.

A: I am answering the concrete question of the resolution – “Did the actions of Mirzayanov cause any negative consequences? If so what are they really?”

Interrogation finished at 12:05 PM.

Interrogated and composed transcript

Senior investigator of Investigation

Department of MB RF

Captain of Justice

V.A. Shkarin

Top secret

Moscow

March 30, 1993

Captain of Justice Shkarin, Senior Investigator of the Investigation Department of the Ministry of Security of the Russian Federation in accordance with the requirements of the Article 192 UPK RSFSR in his office questioned the expert Anatoly Mikhailovich Kochetkov… (following personal data).

Interrogation started at 5:15 PM

Interrogation finished at 6:35 PM

Q: You came to the conclusion in Findings of the Expertise on March 16, 1993 that the materials presented to the Expertise contain state secrets about the latest achievements in the area of science and technology (results of scientific research work in the interests of the country’s defense) capable of upgrading the capabilities of existing weaponry (munitions) and also about the trend and the results perspective scientific research work on the creation of binary weapons. On what basis did you make this conclusion?

A: Since 1986 I have been a chief of the Special Technical Department of the Main Administration (GlavK) of the Heavy Organic Synthesis of the Ministry of the Chemical Industry (Minkhimprom) for the coordination of problems in area of the development and production of chemical weapons.

From the content of the materials presented to the Expertise, it follows that they mention a chemical nerve agent developed at GOSNIIOKhT which is superior in its “combat characteristics” to the known VX-gas and the development of a binary system on its basis. On the basis of this data, and proceeding from my special knowledge in the specific area of the development of chemical weapons, I came to the conclusion that in this particular case the issue is about chemical agent “A-232”, created at GOSNIIOKhT by order of the USSR Defense Ministry. This substance has had a stronger toxicity than VX-gas and it is difficult to cure people poisoned with it. Because of that, I developed the conclusion that the creation of this substance was the latest achievement in field of science.

There is information in the presented materials about the development of a binary version on the basis of the new chemical agent. This information discloses the trend and the results of perspective scientific research work conducted on the creation of a binary chemical weapon. These works are perspective because they allow for the simplification of the production of the weapon and problems of its storage.

Q: What about information other than that presented in the findings?

A: Like the other members of the Expert Commission, I came to the conclusion that it doesn’t constitute a state secret.

Q: Has the secrecy of scientific research work in area of the creation of chemical weapons been downgraded to a degree, due to the signing by Russian Federation of the CWC on January 13 1993?

A: From 1989 up to the present time, I have been an expert on the problems of the prohibition of chemical weapons from the chemical industry at the bilateral Russian-American negotiations and I was participating in the preparation of the Expert Conclusions for texts of the CWC. The CWC doesn’t have provisions for publications of the results of scientific research work in the area of creation of chemical weapons.

In our country information about scientific research in the area of development of chemical weapons from 1974 up to the current time is a specifically protected state secret. The CWC has provisions only for the declaration of establishments where mostly the works on the creation of chemical weapons were carried out. I’d like to remind everyone that the CWC will enter into force no earlier than January 13 1995.

Interrogated and composed transcript

Senior investigator Investigation

Department of MB RF

Captain of Justice

V.A. Shkarin

Top secret

Moscow

April 8, 1993

Captain of Justice Shkarin, Senior Investigator of the Investigation Department of the Ministry of Security of the Russian Federation in accordance with the requirements of Article 192 UPK RSFSR in his office questioned the expert Boris Alekseevich Kuznetsov… working in GOSNIIOKhT as chief of laboratory…

Interrogation started at 3:10 PM

Interrogation finished at 5:35 PM

Question: In the conclusion of March 16 1993, you concluded that there is information which contains state secrets in the materials presented to the Expertise about new achievements in the area of science and technology (results of scientific research work in the interests of the defense of the country), and also about the direction and the results of perspective scientific research work for the creation of binary weapons being conducted in interests of the country’s defense.

On what basis did you deduce your conclusion?

A: I have been working at GOSNIIOKhT since 1971, from 1986 on I have been the chief of a laboratory at this institute, and I was directly working on the development of the technology of production for the new chemical agents.

During the expert investigations of materials presented to the Expertise and on the basis of the fact that the production in recent years of a nerve-paralytic chemical agent which exceeds in its “combat characteristics” the well-known VX-gas as well as the development of a binary system on its basis were mentioned, I came to the conclusion that in this case the topic under discussion is the chemical agent “A-232” which was created by GOSNIIOKhT. I was directly working with this substance and I know the whole list of its properties including the difficulty of curing poisoning, which exceeds that of the known chemical agent VX-gas. They issued patents in the course of the scientific studies of it and the technology of its production, which is evidence that it is a matter of the newest achievement in the area of science and technology, in particular, in chemistry and the technology of chemical agents. Moreover up to the present time, Russian specialists don’t know whether similar substances were developed in the USA or in other countries conducting research work in area of chemical weapons. I can insist on that because I have clearance for informative materials coming to our institute and other related organizations. These research works were conducted in the interests of the defense of the country. By presenting to the Expert Conclusion proofs other than these, about the fact that the creation of this substance as the newest achievement, additional components of information about this agent could be disclosed which constitute a state secret.