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

There are in the materials presented to the Expertise information about the development of a new chemical agent of a binary system and its production. This information is disclosing the direction and results of perspective scientific work on the creation of a binary weapon conducted in the interests of the country’s defense. These are perspective works because the binary technology of production of any chemical agent is a new step in the development of chemical weapons.

Q: What about information related to the development of chemical weapons other than information pointed out in materials presented to the Expertise?

A: During the expertise I came to the conclusion that other kinds of information about chemical weapons in materials presented to expertise doesn’t constitute a state secret.

Q: Hasn’t the degree of secrecy of the information about scientific research work conducted earlier in the area of the creation of chemical weapons been downgraded, due to the signing on January 13 1993 by Russian Federation of the Convention on the Prohibition of Development, Production, Stockpiling and se of Chemical Weapons and of their Destruction?

A: I was involved from 1985 on by the Ministry of Chemical Industry in the expert work on the development of the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention. From 1988 up to 1991, I was directly participating in the negotiations on chemical weapons in Geneva, in the staff of the Soviet delegation. Because of this I declare that information which constitutes a state secret in the materials presented to the Expertise are related to information on the development of chemical weapons. Disclosure of such information on the development of chemical weapons is not foreseen by provisions of the Convention. So, this information is a property of the state and can be divulged only with its consent.

I know exactly as a participant of the negotiations that at the state level this information was not transmitted to other states.

A: During the investigation indicted Mirzayanov declared that after the publication in the 1991 article “Inversion” in “Kuranty”, an unpleasant relationship developed between him and you. How you can comment on this statement?

Q: I didn’t have a relationship with Mirzayanov, due to my duties of scientific and service activities. So, we didn’t have any relationship, and we were simply acquaintances. I am not accepting Mirzayanov’s accusations of Soviet experts working at the negotiations as directed towards me, because he didn’t mention my last name in this publication and there were many other experts. Personally I don’t have any enmity toward him.

Interrogated and composed transcript

Senior investigator of Investigation

Department of MB RF

Captain of Justice

V.A. Shkarin

Top secret

Moscow

April 29, 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 questioned the expert Igor Michailovich Gabov in his office.

Interrogation started at 3:05 PM

Interrogation finished at 4:55 PM

Question: In connection with the indicted Mirzayanov’s petition I’d ask you to clarify whether the conclusions of Expert Commission from March 16 conform to the formulation of Article 56 of the Temporary List of Information Constituting State Secrets?

A: During the course of the Expert examination, I came to the conclusion that materials presented to the Expertise do contain information on the results achieved of scientific research work conducted within the framework of a goal-oriented program of scientific research in interests of the country’s defense.

Q: You are presented the excerpt of Resolution of the government of Russian Federation March 30 1993 N 256-16 “On making amendments and additions to the Temporary List of Information of state secrecy”, in accordance with it the Temporary List of information constituting state secrets agrees with Clause 122 “Information that discloses the content of former or current works in the area of chemical or biological weapons, or the essence of those works, the results achieved, as well as information on the protocols of synthesis, production technologies, or articles of production equipment.” What kind of clarification can you give us in connection with this?

A: After being familiarized with the Resolution of the Government presented, I came to the conclusion that it is directed particularly for the protection of previously achieved results of completed works in the area of chemical weapons and it is a confirmation of correctness of the conclusion of the Experts who signed a common resolution.

Interrogated and composed transcript

Senior investigator of Investigation

Department of MB RF

Captain of Justice

V.A. Shkarin

Top Secret

The Council of Ministers

Government of the Russian Federation

Moscow

March 30, 1993 N 256-16

On making amendments and additions to the Temporary List of Information of state secrecy.

The Council of Ministers – the Government of the Russian Federation resolves:

1. To introduce the following amendments and additions to the Temporary List of Information of state secrecy approved on September 18, 1992 by Resolution N 733-55 of the Government of the Russian Federation:

a) To use the following wording for Sub-clause “a” of Clause 1:

“a) nuclear ammunition, strategic missiles, rocket launching devices, military purpose space vehicles, rocket carriers for them, anti-missile and anti-space defense facilities, weapons based on new physical or other new principles or special facilities of defense from them, arms with nuclear power plants, systems for warning of a missile attack, systems of space control, military deep-water technical facilities, strategic aviation, as well as its major components within the Russian Federation on the whole, its republics, ministries, departments, enterprises with a special regime or of special importance;”

b) To add Clause 122 that reads as follows to Section IX “Miscellaneous information”:

“122. Information that discloses the content of former or current works in the area of chemical or biological weapons, or the essence of those works, the results achieved, as well as information on the protocols of synthesis, production technologies, or articles of production equipment.”

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation is giving notice that these amendments and additions are to be brought to the notice of the ministries and departments of the Russian Federation, the executive bodies of the republics within the Russian Federation, the territories, regions, autonomous districts, the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg.

2. To the heads of the ministries and departments of the Russian Federation, to take into consideration the amendments and additions stipulated by this resolution, while developing temporary departmental lists of information subject to security classification.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Security of the Russian Federation should provide the required assistance in this work.

V. Chernomyrdin,

Chairman of the Council of Ministers

Government of the Russian Federation

Top Secret

Copy 2

To V. A. Petrunin, Director of the State Russian Science

Research Institute for Organic Chemistry and Technology

April 22, 1993 6/001580