Excellent News from Russia!

[GDS_Starfury]

Im sure you were all expecting some smartass Russian commentary but this is really great news.

Russia Destroys Over 75% of Its Chemical Weapons Stockpile

http://en.rian.ru/military_news/20130808/182657926/Russia-Destroys-Over-75-of-Its-Chemical-Weapons-Stockpile.html

MOSCOW, August (RIA Novosti) – Russia has destroyed more than 30,000 metric tons of chemical warfare agents, or about 76 percent of its chemical weapons stockpile, Russia's industry and trade minister said Thursday.

Russia has destroyed more chemical agents than any other of the 180 signees of the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention, Minister Denis Manturov said while visiting a chemical weapons disposal facility in the Bryansk Region, which borders Ukraine and Belarus.

More than 500 inspections of Russia's chemical weapons stockpile have been conducted since the convention came into effect, and not a single violation has been detected in this respect, the official added.

Last year, Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Georgy Kalamanov said Russia planned to destroy all of its chemical weapons by 2015.

[Gusington]

No hidden stockpiles?

[GDS_Starfury]

I dont think they want to have to pay for the upkeep and security of that crap anymore to be honest with you.

[Windigo]

they are piss broke and very dysfunctional... they lack the social and logistical infrastructure to NOT slide back - circa 1960s

[Staggerwing]

If they get rid of all their CWDs then they don't have to worry about some underpaid Russian security guard letting whackadoos from Dagichechnystan truck off enough Sarin to wipe out a quarter of Moscow with a lorry-bomb.

[eyebiter]

Wasn't there some island in the Aural Sea where the 55 gallon drums were stored in the open?

http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/asiapcf/9906/21/anthrax.island/

[Airborne Rifles]

I swam in the Aral Sea once...probably a mistake.

[Arctic Blast]

I swam in the Aral Sea once...probably a mistake.

Well, you don't seem to have melted...yet.

[Martok]

If they get rid of all their CWDs then they don't have to worry about some underpaid Russian security guard letting whackadoos from Dagichechnystan truck off enough Sarin to wipe out a quarter of Moscow with a lorry-bomb.

That was kinda my thinking as well. 

I swam in the Aral Sea once...probably a mistake.

Hey, at least you had the opportunity.  At the rate things are going, I'm betting the Aral Sea will effectively cease to exist in the next 50-100 years. 



EDIT:  Spelling.  (Argh) 

[mirth]

Gentleman, relax. Our government totally has a contingency plan for any stray CWs. I saw this documentary about it:

[Airborne Rifles]

I swam in the Aral Sea once...probably a mistake.

Hey, at least you had the opportunity.  At the rate things are going, I'm betting the Aral Sea will effectively case to exist in the next 50-100 years.

It was an eerie experience, we had to drive in trucks dozens of km across the dry lake bed from Aralsk (which used to be a fishing town) to the water's edge.  Along the way we passed dozens of rusting hulks of old fishing trawlers just sitting out in the middle of what is now a desert.  Truly eerie.

[BanzaiCat]

Gentleman, relax. Our government totally has a contingency plan for any stray CWs. I saw this documentary about it:

That man is NOT Russian.

THIS man is Russian. He did a documentary about those subs you can see coral reefs and stuff from while on vacation in Cozumel:

[BanzaiCat]

Sorry for hijacking. That's actually good news. However, it makes you wonder how many truckfulls of Sarin and other nastiness actually "got lost" along the way.