MOSCOW. Jan 22 (Interfax-AVN) - To destroy chemical weapons is safer that to store them, Sergei Kiriyenko, the chairman of the State Chemical Disarmament Commission, said at a news conference in the Interfax main office Wednesday.
"This is first of all related to the fact that there are much more chemical weapons at storage facilities, there are tonnes of them. At the same time, the Gorny facility, for example, can destroy not more than 750kg of yperite at a time," Kiriyenko said.
According to Kiriyenko, the protection of a chemical weapons destruction facility is about the same as that of a nuclear power plant.
"It includes three to four defense lines and sophisticated electronics. If assigned the status of restricted-access territory, Gorny will enjoy even better security due to a special entry regime and other measures," Kiriyenko also said.
He added that the chemical weapons destruction technology applied in Gorny is better than that used in the U.S.
"We apply not burning, but 'wet', 'cold' destruction. There are no high temperatures and pressures, which implies lower risk," he said.