James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies
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1. Assistance to Russia for the Destruction of Chemical Weapons
2. Protection of Nuclear Material in Russia
3. Safe Disposal of 120 Nuclear Submarines
4. Northern Dimension Environmental Partnership (NDEP)

According to the German Foreign Ministry, the G8 Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction, which was passed during the Kananaskis Summit on June 26-27, 2002, is based on an initiative by Russian president Vladimir Putin and German chancellor Gerhard Schröder. U.S. president George Bush later took up this proposal in spring 2002. As part of the fight against terrorism, the projects set forth by the G8 action plan are intended to reduce the risk of nuclear, chemical, biological and radiological proliferation, initially in Russia and later in other (especially FSU) states. Over a period of 10 years funds totaling $20b will be allocated to facilitate the destruction of chemical weapons, the disposal of Russian nuclear submarines and fissile material, as well as the employment of former defense sector scientists.

Currently the following funds have been committed: USA $10b, Germany up to €1.5b, EU €1b, Italy €1b, Great Britain $0.75b, France €0.75b, Canada $0.7b, Japan $0.2b, Russia $2b.

During the first half of the G8 time frame, Germany will be involved in three bilateral projects in Russia:

• chemical weapons destruction in Kambarka, for which €300m are budgeted,
• long-term temporary storage of contaminated reactor components of dismantled Russian nuclear submarines in the Sayda Bay, with an approximate budget of €300m, and
• physical protection of nuclear material with a budget of approximately €170m.

Furthermore, Germany will participate in projects of the Northern Dimension Environmental Partnership and has committed €10m to this program. The legal framework addressing questions of liability, tax exemption and privileges has been established by the signing of the Multilateral Nuclear Environmental Program in the Russian Federation (MNEPR) Framework Agreement on May 21, 2003.

1. Assistance to Russia for the Destruction of Chemical Weapons

Russia has the largest stockpile of chemical weapons (CW) with reported supplies of 40,000 tons in seven storage facilities. In accord with the Chemical Weapons Convention, which Russia ratified in 1997, it has to destroy its entire stockpile by May 2007. Russia will not be able to meet this deadline, as it has only started destruction in its first such facility in Gornyy in December 2002. Nonetheless, Russia has met the first deadline by destroying 1 percent of the reported stockpile by the end of April 2003. As a result of this, Russia has applied for an extension of the deadline until 2012 at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague.

Russia is dependent on foreign assistance for the destruction of CW, which has been provided by Germany since 1993.

• Gornyy
  Gornyy, in Saratov oblast, is the smallest storage facility with approximately 1,200 tons of lewisite, mustard gas as well as mixtures in barrels and cisterns. Within the framework of cooperation on disarmament, Germany has been supporting the CW destruction project since 1993 with deliveries and services by German companies totaling over €45m in aid. Nearly 100% of these expenditures have been made in Germany. The first section of the destruction facility was presented to the public on August 21, 2002 and became operational on December 19, 2002. This has been the clearest achievement of German cooperation on disarmament so far and has garnered international recognition for Germany amongst its partners.

  Russia continues to need supplements for German equipment delivered previously to ensure that the facility is safe and the second section of the Gornyy facility is put into operation. Therefore, €8.4m have been promised within the framework of the G8 partnership for 2003. 

• Kambarka
  Kambarka stores five times as much CW as Gornyy: 6,400 tons of lewisite in 80 cisterns each measuring 50 cubic meters. Participation in CW destruction at Kambarka is the logical extension of Germany's engagement at Gornyy. According to Russian estimates, $700m are necessary for the planning, construction and operation of the facility. The German Foreign Ministry has committed approximately €200m within the next five years. In 2003, the following measures, totaling €23m, have been agreed upon in diplomatic correspondence between the two countries:

  1. planning, delivery and construction of the thermal decontamination plant,

  2. planning, delivery and construction of a system to empty cisterns, and

  3. delivery of filter boxes to purify air.

  Kambarka is at the most advanced stage of all [new] German projects and is in the process of being implemented. Contracts are made by open bidding, and it is expected that they will be awarded within the next weeks.

2. Protection of Nuclear Material in Russia

In research laboratories and closed cities, Russia continues to possess large amounts of fissile material, which has been stored at these locations due to disarmament measures. Some of this highly sensitive, often still weapons-grade, material is being stored under conditions that do not entirely meet the heightened safety criteria after 11 September 2001. In addition to this, there are large amounts of highly radioactive waste stemming from the production of nuclear weapons and reprocessing of fissile material. This mostly liquid waste can be used for the production of radiological bombs, as even small amounts can emit strong radiation and have a toxic effect. The current level of protection is insufficient to ward off its potential use in terrorist attacks or as the aim of such attacks.

Russia is aware of this situation and asked Germany for assistance with the physical protection of fissile material against sabotage or theft by terrorists. Therefore the German Foreign Ministry has helped Russia with the protection of two reactors and their fissile material storage in the closed city of Ozersk (Mayak) since 2000. As a result of improving cooperation, Germany gained access to Seversk in 2002 as well.

As part of the G8 Global Partnership, the German Foreign Ministry plans to support various long-term protective measures in both closed cities and research laboratories in Moscow in 2003. The latter are under the auspices of the Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy (Minatom). In addition to this, the German Foreign Ministry is currently in negotiations with the Russian Ministry of Defense over authorization to enhance protective measures at two storage facilities that are under its control.

More specifically, 17 measures are planned, which range from the design of security concepts, the delivery of special security technology (surveillance cameras, screens, equipment for issuing documents and more) to improvements in the perimeter and entrance gates. The "Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbh" is responsible for the execution of the project on the German side. The Russian side estimates the total cost to be in the range of €300m to €400m, of which Germany has promised to contribute approximately €170m within the next six years.

Diplomatic correspondence with the Russian Foreign Ministry has been initiated. After its completion, further steps can be taken with Minatom and corresponding agreements signed. The interdepartmental agreement with the Russian Defense Ministry has been negotiated; its conclusion should be feasible in the first half of 2003.

3. Safe Disposal of 120 Nuclear Submarines

The German Federal Ministry for the Economy and Labor (BMWA) and Minatom plan to undertake the safe disposal of 120 decommissioned or soon to be decommissioned submarines. The project costs are estimated at €300m. Approximately 40 reactor compartments from previously dismantled submarines are currently floating with insufficient security measurers in Sayda Bay, near Murmansk. Further submarine dismantlement, including the disposal of nuclear fuel, is stalled due to the lack of storage space in the water.

It is therefore of strategic importance to construct expediently a temporary storage facility with the necessary infrastructure in the Sayda Bay to allow for the continued dismantlement and disposal of approximately 80 submarines. The construction of such a facility has been prevented so far due to financial as well technical limitations on the part of Russia.

The project encompasses the following main areas:

• Construction of a land-based temporary storage facility with the infrastructure required for 120 submarine reactor compartments and other contaminated ships in Sayda Bay;
• Optimization of material and technical conditions as well as of the equipment used by Russian companies to expedite the dismantling of submarines;
• Establishment of conditions for the safe handling of waste material resulting from the dismantlement process; and
• Protection of the environment in Sayda Bay.

A corresponding agreement between the BMWA and Minatom is to be signed shortly, after which the implementation of the project can begin immediately. The BMWA has declared Energiewerke Nord GmbH, the company with the most experience in the decommissioning of nuclear power plants in Germany, as the project coordinator.

4. NDEP
The "Northern Dimension Environmental Partnership" is an environmental program of the European Union's Northern Dimension. It consists of two parts: general environment and nuclear security. The NDEP has been provided with funding by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) with the intention of financing environmental restoration in Russia. Part of the program, which is supposed to be financed with the fund, includes projects involving the disposal of nuclear materials and the dismantlement of decommissioned submarines in particular. To have a say in the assembly of donor nations, a contribution of €10m over 5 years is required. During the inaugural pledging conference in July 2002, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands and Russia committed the required €10m and the European Union €50m. The fund is thus operational.

On the occasion of the first conference of donors in November 2002, Germany declared its willingness to participate as part of Multilateral Nuclear Environmental Program in the Russian Federation (MNEPR) in the NDEP with annual contributions of €2m over 5 years starting in 2004. The funds will be restricted to the nuclear projects of the NDEP.

Only with the conclusion of the MNEPR can NDEP undertake nuclear projects. MNEPR is a framework agreement with Russia with the intent of simplifying the implementation of projects in nuclear-related fields and more specifically the disposal of decommissioned submarines and the restoration of former submarine bases. The agreement, which was signed on 21 May 2003 in Stockholm, has begun to be carried out. An accord with Russia on procedures to implement the agreed-upon indirect tax exemption remains to be reached.

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