I.2. NOMENCLATURE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS

Chemical weapons are usually divided into three generations. Their military differences boil down mainly to changes in combat effectiveness. This means not only an increase in the toxicity and other combat characteristics of the chemical agents themselves. The means of use have also evolved - chemical munitions and various devices.

All generations chemical weapons It is united by one feature - the impossibility of its combat use without harm to the civilian population.

In the pre-war years, chemical weapons played a serious role in the Soviet Army, along with tanks, aviation and artillery. During the Second World War, the parties did not dare to resort to chemical weapons, and during the course of hostilities they were relegated to the background.

In the post-war years, the chemical weapons of the Soviet Union received powerful additional development.

OM that formed the basis first generation chemical weapons were developed in Germany, the USA and some other countries in connection with the fighting of the First World War and after it 6,9.

PERSISTENT OV

The Russian army has two SOWs in service - mustard gas and lewisite.

Mustard gas (beta,beta-dichlorodiethyl sulfide). Persistent agent with skin-blistering and general toxic effects. Technical mustard gas is a brown oily liquid with the smell of garlic or mustard. Melts at 14.5 o. To lower the freezing point it is mixed with lewisite. The steam concentration C max 20 is 0.625 mg/l. Liquid mustard gas quickly seeps through fabrics, cardboard, and thin rubber. Quickly absorbs into leather, brick, concrete, untreated wood, old oil coatings. Hydrolyzes very poorly.

It affects the body in the form of vapor, aerosol or droplets. It has a latent period of action (death from a lethal dose can occur within 24 hours). Mild eye damage occurs at a concentration of 0.001 mg/l after 30 minutes; at higher concentrations, vision may be lost. Inhalation of steam and aerosol leads to inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, dry cough, and bronchitis. With moderate lesions, death occurs within a month. Severe lesions end in death after 3-4 days. The first signs of skin damage are itching, burning, redness. At higher doses - swelling, small blisters. Subsequently, the blisters merge and burst to form ulcers. Lethal dose when acting through the skin - 70-80 mg/kg body weight. Capable of accumulation. Enzyme poison. Has a mutagenic effect. There are no antidotes.

Lewisite (beta-chlorovinyldichloroarsine). Organoarsenic persistent agent with skin-blistering and general toxic (disturbance of intracellular carbohydrate metabolism) action. Technical lewisite is a liquid with a characteristic odor reminiscent of geranium. Freezes from -10 to -15 o. Easily hydrolyzed by water to form toxic beta-chlorovinyl arsine oxide.

Does not have a hidden period of action. A concentration of 0.12 mg/l causes death when exposed through the respiratory system. The eyes are very sensitive to lewisite. A concentration in the air of 0.01 mg/l causes redness of the eyes and swelling of the eyelids within 15 minutes. The vapors also affect the skin. Droplet-liquid lewisite causes immediate skin damage (redness, swelling, skin blisters). Fatal cutaneous resorptive toxodosis LD 50 is 20 mg/kg. Fatal toxemia when admitted through gastrointestinal tract LD 50 is 5-10 mg/kg. There are antidotes - 2,3-dimercaptopropanol (BAL) and sodium salt of 2,3-dimercaptopropanesulfonic acid (unithiol).

As part of the combat classification, they include three main groups, including two designed to destroy enemy personnel:

• persistent agents (SOM) of blister and general toxic action: mustard gases - sulfuric acid (substance HD) and nitrogenous (HN), lewisite (L) unstable General toxic and asphyxiating agents: hydrocyanic acid (AC), phosgene (CG), diphosgene (DP),
• irritating agents (irritants - lachrymators and sternites): adamsite (DM, fenarsazine chloride), diphenylchlorarsine (DA, CLARK I), diphenylcyanarsine (DC, CLARK II), chloroacetophenone (CN), chloropicrin (PS), CS gas (dinitrile o-chlorobenzylidenemalonic acids), etc.

SOV and NOV have been considered chemical attack weapons by the Soviet Union since 1918. Produced since 1924 99. Work on their use for military purposes was carried out until the turn of the 50-60s, when the practical transition to ammunition with organophosphorus agents (OPO) began. Even in 1951-1953, when preparations were underway for the use of phosphorus chemical agents, another chemical ammunition was tested and put into service with the army - a 122-mm howitzer fragmentation projectile loaded with SOV and phosgene.

In addition to irritants, first-generation agents also include psychotropic drugs (incapacitants), which, like irritants, are aimed not at destroying enemy personnel, but at temporarily incapacitating them 9 . These include lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), obtained in Switzerland in 1938, benzyl 3-quinuclidine ester (substance BZ), synthesized in the USA in 1955, etc.

Incapacitant LSD

Characterizing second generation chemical weapons As a rule, phosphorus nerve agents are considered - tabun (GA), sarin (GB), soman (GD), V-gases 6,8,9. Soman and V-gases are persistent chemical agents, sarin is usually (in summer time) to unstable.

FOVs have become an element of army combat planning since the 50s, and since the 60s. in binary form 7,8. The phosphorus chemical agents of the Soviet Union included, were in service, were produced on an industrial scale and are currently available in army warehouses: sarin, soman, and also Soviet V-gas 11,17,99, in the USA - sarin and gas VX 7.9. At one time, the Soviet Army was also armed with stocks of herds captured in Germany in 1945 11 .

ORGANOPHOSPHORUS NERVE PHOSPHORUS AGENTS ACTIONS

They cause specific disorders of the nervous system with the appearance of convulsions that turn into paralysis. They chemically bind and inactivate cholinesterase, an enzyme that regulates the transmission of nerve impulses.

Tabun (cyanophosphoric acid ethyl ester dimethylamide).

Colorless liquid with a pleasant fruity odor. Hardens at -48 o. .Lethal concentration 0.3 mg/l with exposure 1 min.

Skin contact with 50-70 mg/kg of drop-liquid tabun leads to fatal poisoning. Slowly hydrolyzes with water. Hydrolysis is accelerated in an alkaline environment. Hydrolysis products are toxic.

Zarin Soman

Sarin (methylphosphonic acid isopropyl ether fluoride)

acid). Colorless, transparent, odorless liquid. Miscible with water and organic solvents in any ratio. Hardens at -56 o. It has high volatility (maximum vapor concentration C max 20 is 11.3 mg/l). It hydrolyzes rather slowly with water. Easily sorbed by porous materials, absorbed into painted surfaces and rubber.

One of the main weapons of the Russian and US armies. Destroys living force by contaminating the ground layer of air. Poisons through any method of entry into the body: inhalation of steam, absorption of liquid or vaporous substances through intact or damaged skin and mucous membranes of the eyes, ingestion of contaminated water and food, contact with surfaces. The lethal concentration is about 0.2 mg/l after one minute of exposure. In droplet-liquid form it causes general poisoning through the skin.

Soman (methylphosphonic acid pinacolyl ether fluoride)

acid). Colorless liquid with the smell of camphor. Hardens at

80 o. Hydrolyzes very slowly with water. Absorption into porous materials is higher than that of sarin. Stores well in metal containers. The maximum steam concentration Cmax 20 is 3 mg/l. It is in service with the Russian army. The defeat is achieved by contaminating the atmosphere with a fine aerosol or steam. The lethal concentration is about 0.02 mg/l with an exposure of 1 minute. Safe - below 5.10 -7 mg/l. When exposed to the skin in a droplet-liquid or vapor state, it causes general poisoning (toxodosis LD 50 1.4 mg/kg). The cumulative properties are more pronounced than those of sarin.

Phosphorus agents were obtained in Germany (tabun - 1936, sarin - 1939, soman - 1944). In the Soviet Union, targeted development of FOV was intensively carried out starting in 1943 102,156. A substance similar to tabun was created in the Soviet Union much before the war. It can be found, for example, in the domestic monograph pre-war years 3. However, the herd itself was synthesized by K.A. Petrov in March 1945 after receiving information about German work.

Sarin in the Soviet Union was synthesized during the war years, independently of German work, twice (A.E. Arbuzov: synthesis - late 1943, toxicological tests - April 1944; M.I. Kabachnik: synthesis of the substance "prays" - September 1944). Under the code “prays”, sarin was put into service with the Soviet Army by order of the War Ministry N 00192 in 1952, which has not been canceled to this day (subsequently, only a recoding took place: to designate sarin in documents, instead of the word “prays”, they began to use “ordoval- 1") 109 .

From the fabrications of General A. Kuntsevich (1995):
“The USSR and the USA learned about sarin only in 1945. The group of German scientists who synthesized this agent was taken by the Americans to the USA after the war” 157 .

In 1945, for the synthesis of sarin and other organophosphorus agents, M. Kabachnik was awarded the Stalin Prize, 1st degree 109 (Table 1).

A group of combat agents, called V-gases according to the international classification, was created in the USA, Sweden and other countries in the 50s. In the Soviet Union, work on the synthesis and establishment of toxicological and other characteristics of the group of V-gases was carried out in 1957-1959. At the same time, a decision was made to equip missile warheads with them.

During these same years, incapacitants 9 appeared.

In 1955-1960 The Soviet Army was armed with an agent capable of overcoming the gas mask charge - trifluoronitrosomethane 112. They were equipped with a 250 kg caliber gas bomb.

Work on the use of hydrogen phosphide (PH 3) as an agent was carried out for many years and was stopped only in 1959.

The path to preparing for a full-scale offensive chemical war could have been abandoned more than once.

This could have been done in the spring of 1945, when acquaintance with captured German factories producing OV 11.57 took place and the technological unpreparedness of the USSR to solve such problems became clear.

Substance VX in the USA and Soviet V-gas have a common gross formula and slightly different structure.

V-gas - USSR VX- USA

Basic weapons of the armies of Russia and the USA.

Oily, high-boiling liquids that do not distill at atmospheric pressure. They have low vapor pressure. Not required special conditions storage, except for sealing containers. Well soluble in water. Very resistant to water (complete hydrolysis in a neutral environment at room temperature may last for years). Infection of water bodies persists for many months. In an alkaline environment, hydrolysis is significantly accelerated, in an acidic environment it is insignificant. Statement 9 It is false that the hydrolysis products of V-gases are non-toxic. One of the hydrolysis products is highly toxic and stable in environment(yield approximately 15%).

They penetrate into organisms through the skin, mucous membranes of the eyes, nose and upper respiratory tract, as well as through clothing. Act on acetylcholinesterase. The hidden period of action is from several minutes to 4-6 hours. They have cumulative properties. Lethal defeat of the enemy by V-gases is achieved by insignificant concentrations of vapors and mists at low densities of infection. Skin penetration is enhanced by the use of dimethyl sulfoxide and similar solvents.

Soviet V-gas. Technical product - liquid from light yellow to dark brown. Freezes (glasses) at -76 o. Refractive index - 1.4745. Properties at 20 o:

• vapor pressure: 2.13. 10 -4 mmHg viscosity: (9-11) sp,
• density: 0.995-1.020 g/s m3

The threshold dose for humans when exposed to unprotected skin is 0.003 mg/kg. When inhaling vapors, a concentration of 0.000014 mg/min/l causes initial signs of intoxication (miosis, chest effect).

In terms of acute toxicity, Soviet V-gas exceeds soman when administered intravenously by 2-3 times, when exposed to inhalation - by 7-10 times, and when administered through skin-resorptive application - by approximately 250 times.

This could have been done in the 50s, when it became clear that the first generation SOWs did not correspond to the nature of the future war and that the strategic necessity of FOV 96 was lost after the capture of the Soviet Union nuclear missile weapons as a result of three successful August tests ( atomic bomb- August 29, 1949, hydrogen bomb - August 12, 1953 and ballistic missile R-7 - August 21, 1957) 110.

From propaganda everyday life (1987):
“The United States has huge reserves of chemical weapons. The Americans used chemical weapons on a large scale in a dirty war against the Vietnamese people. There crops and jungles were destroyed, and most importantly, people were poisoned and left crippled” 67 .

The creation of a chemical attack potential using second-generation phosphorus agents has not been stopped. On the contrary, in March 1967, the MHP and the army (Minister L. Kostandov and Chief of the General Staff M. Zakharov) initiated a sharp expansion of work to prepare for chemical warfare. By the decision of the CPSU Central Committee and the USSR Council of Ministers of September 2, 1968, this strategic mistake was legitimized, and at the end of the 60s. in Soviet Union preparations began for total chemical warfare 106 .

From the revelations of General V. Pikalov (1987):
“Chemical weapons are a means of armed warfare for operational-tactical purposes. But if its development is not stopped, it may well become strategic level weapons. Particularly large losses from the use of chemical weapons may occur in Europe, where the density of population and troops is very high." 70 .

The appearance of third-generation chemical weapons in the Soviet Union is a consequence not only of the Cold War, but also of the anti-nationality of the Soviet Military Chemical Committee, its desire to not lose its “place in life” at any cost. This weapon embodies the double achievements of special chemistry - not only new types of OM 95, but also more developed by this time effective ways their combat use (cluster ammunition 8.158, use the latest achievements chemistry and technology of aerosols 8,9,12,59, a binary design that allows you not to have the agent itself until its combat use 8,90, etc.).

Development of new phosphorus agents, which formed the basis third generation chemical weapons , dates back to 1973-1976. 106,155,159, testing of ammunition with these agents was completed in 1991-1992. 95. One of them (A-232, Novichok-5 102) turned out to be convenient for combat use in binary form (the Soviet V-gas 99.159 was also prepared for use in binary form). The new agent surpasses VX in combat characteristics and is practically incurable 160.

The merits of the creators of chemical weapons of the first, second and third generations, including work on creating chemical munitions and increasing their effectiveness, were noted with signs of attention from the state. The leadership of VHC 11.102 especially did not forget themselves (Table 1).

Table 1

Prizes for the development and organization of industrial production of chemical weapons

		Stalin Prize 2nd degree (S.L. Varshavsky, I.H. Shenfinkel)
Hydrocyanic acid		Stalin Prize 3rd degree (S.S. Bobkov, I.K. Zamaraev, V.G. Zaitsev, M.V. Zlotnik, S.M. Korsakov-Bogatkov)
Sarin type FOV		Stalin Prize 1st degree (M.I. Kabachnik)
New FOV		Stalin Prize (I.P. Komkov, K.A. Petrov)
Sarin and soman		Lenin Prize (V.D. Belyaev, A.B. Bruker, S.L. Varshavsky, S.N. Kosolapov, B.P. Kuchkov, B.Ya. Libman, V.V. Pozdnev, S.N. Potapov , L.Z. Soborovsky, N.N. Yukhtin)
Chemical munitions		State Prize (Z.S. Ainbinder, M.K. Baranaev, Z.I. Brodsky, I.M. Gabov, P.S. Demidenko, F.V. Kozlov, V.E. Kolesnikov, G.A. Taldykin , V.D. Tretyakov, V.N. Fetisov, B.I. Fomichev, L.A. Khanin)
		Lenin Prize (S.V. Golubkov, V.M. Zimin, I.V. Martynov, I.M. Milgotin, A.P. Tomilov, V.N. Topnikov)
		Lenin Prize (K.A. Guskov, E.M. Zhuravsky, M.I. Kabachnik, E.V. Privezentsev, V.M. Romanov, V.F. Rostunov, A.V. Fokin).
Solving "special problems"		State Prize (A.M. Gribov, A.E. Gusakov, I.B. Evstafiev, A.S. Ivanov, G.P. Kucherenko, N.I. Menzhun, V.A. Romanchuk, N.M. Skribunov , N.S. Khazakh, L.S. Shevnitsyn, N.N. Yarovenko)
Program "Foliant"		State Prize (N.P. Artamonov, G.F. Grigorenko, V.I. Dobin, K.A. Zakharov, A.F. Ivlev, N.N. Kovalev, V.S. Mochulsky, V.K. Pikalov , O.I. Stuzhuk, V.M. Ushakov, V.P. Tselykovsky, A.G. Shkuro)
Solving "special problems"		State Prize (B.A. Bogdanov, N.I. Varnaev, A.A. Zlatorunsky, A.M. Ivanov, V.P. Lenge, V.V. Mishin, Yu.I. Musiychuk, G.A. Patrushev , V.K. Pelishchuk, V.V. Pozdnev, G.D. Rozin)
Binary weapon		Lenin Prize (A.V. Gaev, A.V. Kisletsov, A.D. Kuntsevich, V.A. Petrunin)
Binary weapon		State Prize (R.K. Balchenko, V.V. Bocharov, I.B. Evstafiev, N.N. Kovalev, G.S. Leonov, V.A. Putilov, V.I. Khanenko, A.A. Shapetko )

Summing up the hardest path to this strategically the right remedy conducting war as a chemical weapon, it should be emphasized that even today, overcoming the inertia of thinking and abandoning military planning in terms of chemical warfare is not easy for the military and chemical authorities. In any case, it is only very recently that there has been recognition of the danger of chemical weapons and their uselessness for achieving fundamental military goals 161 .

From the belated insights of the heads of the Shikhany Central Military Plant.

General N. Antonov:
“In the last years of my military service, I was the head of my institute, several years after its relocation from Moscow to the village of Shikhany, Saratov region. After leaving military service I worked for a number of years in the Ministry of Health. My responsibilities included identifying trends in the development of chemical weapons. I collected and summarized publications related to chemical weapons and compared the assessments they contained with my own. It was impossible not to pay attention to the fact that optimistic forecasts for the development of chemical weapons do not come true, and the multimillion-dollar expenditures on the search for new chemical agents do not yield results. There was no increase in the destructive power of chemical weapons" 12 .

General A. Kuntsevich:
“The image of chemical weapons has always been associated with an ominous secret. We've all been infected with the idea of ​​having power in our hands. The authority of the state was associated only with force. And only the fear that this force could strike you yourself made politicians, military men and scientists think." 61 .

The deadly substance “Novichok” and its inventor March 14th, 2018

On March 12, British Prime Minister Theresa May announced that former officer The GRU was poisoned in Salisbury with the nerve agent Novichok. Of course, Russia was blamed for this.

The existence of this substance became known thanks to one of the developers of Soviet chemical weapons, Vil Mirzayanov: in 1992, he accused the Russian authorities of violating agreements on the destruction of chemical weapons, and in 2008 he spoke in detail about Novichok and his participation in its development in the book “ State Secrets: Inside the Russian Chemical Weapons Program."

Mirzayanov and his book still remain the main source of information about Novichok.

A native of Bashkiria and a graduate of the Moscow Institute of Fine Chemical Technologies, Vil Mirzayanov worked for 26 years at the main Soviet research institute involved in the development of chemical weapons in the USSR - the State Scientific Research Institute of Organic Chemistry and Technology (GNIIOKhT; also known as NII-42 and Mailbox- 702).

The main administrative building of the research institute was located on Entuziastov Highway in Moscow; it consisted of dozens of gray buildings behind barbed wire; subordinate laboratories were located in different parts of the country, the most important ones in Shikhany in the Saratov region, near Volgograd and in Nukus (Uzbekistan). Mirzayanov began working “with all his might” at the GNIIOKhT in 1965—at a time when, as he later recalled, Soviet scientists were largely copying Western chemical weapons developments.

The breakthrough came in 1970. As Mirzayanov points out, the team of scientist Peter Kirpichev created a new class of chemical agents, some of which were five to eight times more lethal than those known at the time. This research program was called "Novichok". One of the toxic substances - it had the index A-232 - was not a traditional organophosphorus nerve agent, but a synthesized pesticide with an analog structure. This, according to Mirzayanov, opened the way to the use of chemicals from Agriculture for weapon components.

Novichok was developed as part of the secret Project Tome and is a binary chemical weapon. The specificity of substances of this class is that they are brought into a “combat state” immediately before use. Before this, Novichok precursors (relatively harmless reagents) are kept separately from each other.

In terms of its composition, Novichok can be a liquid, aerosol or gas. Poisoning with this poison leads to paralysis of all muscles and severe damage to the nervous system. Death occurs from respiratory or cardiac arrest. If death does not occur immediately, the person faces a permanent disability. Signs of poisoning may take several weeks to appear.

Soon Novichok began to be tested on animals. IN combat use the substance suppressed breathing and slowed the heartbeat. The tests were successful, and research into various modifications of Novichok continued until the end of the 1980s. Some of them were carried out in a laboratory in Nukus, Uzbekistan (in the late 1990s, the US investigated the laboratory building to find remnants of chemical weapons). After the next successful test“Novichok,” as Mirzayanov recalled, the director of the laboratory told them that such weapons appear once every 40 years.

For testing, the research institute created hundreds of kilograms of A-232.

Poisoning with substance A-232 (or “Novichok-5”) occurred in 1987 due to a broken fan. In the late 1980s, during regular tests, gas leaked into the laboratory, where one of the scientists, Andrei Zheleznyakov, was then located. Zheleznyakov felt nauseated and began to have vivid hallucinations. The unconscious scientist was urgently taken to the Sklifosovsky Institute of Emergency Medicine. Zheleznyakov spent more than a week in the hospital on the verge of life and death; for the next six months he could not walk, suffered from depression and an inability to concentrate, and could not even read. He never returned to work and, having not fully recovered from the poisoning, died in 1993. Zheleznyakov’s attending physician at the Sklifosovsky Institute, Evgeniy Vedernikov, told an American correspondent that saving the patient was difficult, but not impossible - but only because treatment could be started almost immediately.

Vil Mirzayanov, in publications in Moscow News and in an interview with The Baltimore Sun, spoke for the first time about the development of nerve agents of the “Novichok” series, which was carried out as part of the “Foliant” program, which involved the creation of a new generation of combat agents. The “Foliant” project was launched in the late 1970s, and the first “Novichok”, or substance A-230, was synthesized by the chemist of the Volsky branch of the Scientific Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Pyotr Kirpichev, and tested on laboratory animals in 1981. Mirzayanov said that the discovery was made by Kirpichev while working on his dissertation, but, unlike many leaders, the scientist did not receive any bonuses for it.

In the following years, more advanced forms of poison were developed, for example, “Novichok-5” (A-232), obtained in 1987 - it was with this that Andrei Zheleznyakov was poisoned. This variant of the compound turned out to be the most promising: it is a binary toxic substance - that is, it can be obtained by mixing two low-toxic components that can be safely stored separately. It was never possible to create other binary OBs in the USSR. Already in the early 1990s, new versions continued to appear - “Novichok-8” and “Novichok-9”. The poisons were tested at testing sites in Shikhany, near Saratov, and Nukus in Uzbekistan.

In 1990, as Mirzayanov says in his book, the Soviet army decided to use Novichok in its weapons. After this, they began to build a gas production plant in Pavlodar (now the territory of Kazakhstan), but Mirzayanov does not know what happened to the project after the collapse of the USSR. As indicated in the scientific article “Pavlodar chemical production: history and heritage”, according to Pavlodar officials, at the Pavlodar chemical plant, which existed since the mid-1950s, in the 1980s they actually created six types of binary chemical weapons, most likely substances of the “ Newbie." According to the Union for Chemical Safety, the chemical plant ceased to exist in the early 1990s; in 1994 it was officially closed, and the government of Kazakhstan ordered the disposal of all materials found there chemical substances— during this operation, about a thousand tons of mercury went underground and ended up in a nearby lake. In 2002, the plant was restored, now it is called “Caustic” and produces, for example, liquid chlorine and hydrochloric acid.

In August 1991, Mirzayanov went to the Moscow region on his personal plot. There he learned about the putsch of the State Emergency Committee - this encouraged him to become an opposition activist. In 1992, Mirzayanov published articles in several publications (in particular, in the American newspaper The Baltimore Sun) that Russia misinformed its Western partners by talking about the amount of chemical weapons produced in the USSR. In addition, the scientist argued that, despite the agreements between the USSR and the USA and the Geneva agreement on the destruction of chemical weapons, the research institute continued to work on Novichok after 1992. “Defeat from it is practically incurable,” Mirzayanov wrote. “In any case, people who were once exposed to this [toxic substance] remained disabled and disabled.” He also claimed that a binary weapon was developed based on the substance, and an “industrial batch” of it was released.

After the publication of the material, Mirzayanov was arrested and accused of disclosing state secrets. He spent some time at Lefortovo and Matrosskaya Tishina. Mirzayanov's book contains interrogation reports in which he says that he wrote the article to draw attention to the violation of international agreements on chemical weapons. He was sure that he had not divulged any secret information. At the trial, security services showed dozens of secret documents. One of them was a report examining Mirzayanov's article. It indicated that everything written in it was true: Soviet laboratories had developed a new chemical weapon that was much stronger than VX (a gas created in the USA). The fact that the documents were actually shown at the trial is known not only from Mirzayanov’s book, but also from Kommersant (the newspaper called the scientist “the first dissident of post-Soviet Russia”); however, the publication did not describe the contents of the documents. In 1994, the criminal case against Mirzayanov was dropped due to the lack of corpus delicti.

In 1995, Novichok was possibly used as a weapon for the first time. In August of that year, the chairman of the board of Rosbusinessbank, Ivan Kivelidi, and his secretary were poisoned with an unknown poison: they began to have convulsions, lost consciousness, and subsequently died. The police officers who arrived at Kivelidi’s office also felt unwell, they felt dizzy, headache, my eyes began to water. A month later, the pathologist who opened Kivelidi’s body died. Experts discovered that the poisonous substance was applied to the telephone receiver; as stated in the investigation of the newspaper "Top Secret", it could only be synthesized in the laboratory of the research institute in Shikhany - exactly where Novichok was researched and created. Kommersant wrote that the substance was purchased specifically from an employee of the GNIIOKhT, who was then convicted of exceeding his authority. Many years later, in 2007, Kivelidi’s business partner Vladimir Khutsishvili was found guilty of the murder.

Vil Mirzayanov in New York, April 2015

In 1996, Mirzayanov emigrated to the United States, where he began teaching at Princeton University. Ten years later, he published a book in which he spoke in detail about the chemical weapons program in the USSR.

After Theresa May’s statement that it was Novichok that was used to poison Sergei Skripal, Mirzayanov told The Telegraph that he was sure that only Russia could be involved in the poisoning (Medusa was unable to contact the scientist). At the same time, other experts point out that the very existence of Novichok has not yet been conclusively proven. “This substance is almost mythological; its composition still remains unclear,” toxicologist Alexey Vodovozov told N+1. “There are no traces of testing or use, although they were actively looked for in laboratories.” In 2011, the scientific council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons noted that there was no evidence of the existence of Novichok, other than Mirzayanov’s statements.

It is important to note that one of the key production facilities of GNIIOKhT was located in Nukus (Uzbekistan). After the collapse of the USSR, Uzbekistan worked closely with the US government to neutralize the sites where Novichoks were tested, that is, the Americans had access to chemical weapons of this class.

sources

British Prime Minister Theresa May on the evening of March 12 announced the first conclusions of the investigation into the case of former GRU colonel Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter were exposed to an unknown nerve agent on March 4. They were found unconscious on a park bench near shopping center The Maltings in English city Salisbury. Both have since remained in hospital in critical condition.

As Theresa May said yesterday, the nerve agent Novichok, which was invented in the USSR, was used against the ex-GRU colonel and his daughter.

British authorities have previously stated that Russia was most likely behind the poisoning. And they now consider the Soviet Novichok one of the indirect evidence. True, the formula of this substance was revealed to the whole world by one of its creators long ago. And to “cook” this poison, you don’t need any rare or expensive elements. Life has collected the most Interesting Facts about "Novichok".

1. Soviet scientists began working on Novichok in the 1960s. It was created at the State Research Institute of Organic Chemistry and Technology. Why was he called "Novichok"? Perhaps because it was developed as an even more terrible replacement for already known toxic substances - among them VX and sarin (they belong to the same group of organophosphorus compounds).

2. Organophosphorus poisonous substance is based on chemical bond phosphorus - carbon. Such compounds are nerve poisons. They can easily enter the body through the skin, stomach or respiratory tract.

This poison replaces the enzymes responsible for transmitting nerve impulses. Because of this, a person experiences a tremor that turns into complete paralysis. By influencing the central nervous system, the substance causes convulsions, loss of sensitivity to light, balance, sleep, as well as impaired consciousness, coma. Death occurs within a few hours.

3. If the victim does not die, he will become disabled. An example is GNIIOKhT employee Andrei Zheleznyakov, who in 1987 accidentally poisoned himself with Novichok while working in a laboratory.

He lost the ability to walk and ended up in a secret clinic in Leningrad. Zheleznyakov complained of chronic weakness in his arms, and was later diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver. He also suffered from depression, epilepsy, and lacked concentration. The scientist became disabled and died five years after the poisoning.

4. The substance can be used as a gas and as a liquid. It can be prepared from common chemicals that are used in fertilizer and pesticide factories. Until they are combined, these are relatively harmless reagents.

5. One of the creators of Novichok is chemist Vil Mirzayanov. In the 90s he emigrated from Russia to the USA. There he published a book about the development of chemical weapons in the USSR and revealed in it the chemical formula of Novichok. Mirzayanov spoke about this again yesterday on his Facebook account.

Theresa May stated that Novichok was used to assassinate Skripal,” Mirzayanov wrote in his post. - Its chemical formula is published only in my book.

Vil Mirzayanov in an interview Western media now that Russia is behind Skripal’s poisoning. But from his post it follows that the poisoners learned the formula of the poison from his book (at the same time, Russian specialists know this formula even without his book).

6. Since the formula has been revealed and the reagents to create the poison are easy to obtain, weapons experts fear that rogue countries, including North Korea and Syria, will create their own reserves of this deadly substance.

7. Presumably, "Novichok" in 1995, banker Ivan Kivilidi and his secretary. The telephone receiver in his office was treated with poison. Both died, although the secretary herself did not touch the phone, but simply wiped the dust in the office.

The investigation established that the dangerous substance was purchased from an employee of the GNIIOKhT branch. Moreover, the killer himself received severe poisoning, but survived and, together with the customer, went to the colony.

This is the only documented case of the use for criminal purposes of a substance similar in action to Novichok.

8. "Novichok" can be obtained in any country former USSR, representative of the Russian Federation Council Franz Klintsevich, commenting on Theresa May’s statement.

Given the chaos that was, it could have been... in various types of closets and storage facilities, then Soviet Union carried out the so-called front-line kits. He could be in any country, including Georgia and Ukraine,” Klintsevich said.

However, Theresa May also noted that the version that Russia was behind the poisoning is not the only one. According to her, the substance could have been stolen from Russian laboratories.

The target program for the study of binary systems based on A-series substances was determined by a resolution of the CPSU Central Committee and the USSR Council of Ministers of 1989.

According to S. L. Hoenig, "Novices" can be substituted with 2-fluoro-1,3,2-dioxophospholane:

"Newbie--?" - binary form of Soviet V-gas (Substance 33). This “Novichok” was not assigned a serial number. Industrial production(tens of tons) was established in Novocheboksarsk in the early 1980s. Adopted Soviet army in 1990.

“Novichok-5” is a binary OB based on A-232. It is 5-8 times more toxic than VX. Leading developers I. Vasiliev and A. Zheleznyakov (GNIIOKhT, Moscow). Poisoning is difficult to treat with standard antidotes. Chemical production experimental batches of Novichok-5, about 5-10 tons, were established in Volgograd. Tests were carried out in 1989-1990 at a test site near Nukus (Uzbekistan).

“Novichok-7” is a binary agent based on A-230 with volatility like soman, but 10 times more toxic. Leading developer - G. I. Drozd (GNIIOKhT, Moscow). Experimental small-scale (tens of tons) production of this chemical agent was established in Shikhany. In 1993, it was tested at the Shikhany test site.

“Novichok-8” and “Novichok-9” - these toxic substances were synthesized at GNIIOKhT, but did not reach the production stage.

According to official data, all work on the Folio program was stopped in 1992.

Toxicity

According to the mechanism of action, Novichoks are irreversible inhibitors of the enzyme acetycholinesterase. The neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which is normally broken down by this enzyme, begins to accumulate in synapses, causing initial excitation of the nervous system, which is quickly replaced by its depression. Little is known about the symptoms of Novichok poisoning; it is believed that the clinical picture of poisoning is the same as when affected by conventional nerve agents (sarin, soman, VX). However, there are also differences. So, for example, it is mentioned that “... the lesions were virtually incurable...”, and “... people who were once exposed to this agent remained incapacitated and disabled.” Probably, we're talking about about the so-called delayed neurotoxicity, severe damage to the nervous system, manifested by paresis and paralysis, occurring 1-3 weeks after poisoning with certain organophosphorus pesticides and practically intractable known methods treatment. One of the GNIIOKhT employees, Andrei Zheleznyakov, who suffered acute poisoning with Novichok-5, died five years after the incident, suffering all these years from cirrhosis of the liver that developed against the background of toxic hepatitis, trigeminal neuritis and epilepsy.

Of course, taking into account the ability of our domestic chemists to “Invent”, and the ability armed forces Russia - “Keep secrets”, one can only guess and make assumptions about what else, besides known material, can be stored in warehouses of this kind. And it will probably be better if the majority of people in our country never find out about it...

The decision to stop the production of chemical weapons (CW) was made in our country in 1987. And in 1990, a bilateral agreement was signed with the United States on the destruction of chemical weapons. It did not come into force for a number of reasons. One of them can be considered the completion of multilateral negotiations on the key provisions of the CWC draft.

The Convention was opened for signature on January 13, 1993. Russia signed it on the same day. In 1996, the federal target program “Destruction of chemical weapons stockpiles in the Russian Federation” was developed. In 1997, the Federal Law on CWD was adopted, which for the first time in the practice of Russian legislation regulated issues related to the field national security in the field of disarmament, taking into account the interests and rights of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation.

In order to implement the Convention, in 1996 the Government of the Russian Federation approved the federal target program “Destruction of chemical weapons stockpiles in the Russian Federation”. The program stipulates that in 2012 all chemical weapons stockpiles in the Russian Federation must be destroyed.

During the period from April 2001 to March 2002, the destruction of chemical weapons of categories 2 and 3 was completed in strict accordance with the provisions of the Convention.

In April 2003 Russian Federation completed the first stage of the tasks undertaken international obligations in the field of destruction of stockpiles of chemical weapons of category 1. At the pilot industrial facility in the village of Gorny, Saratov region, 400 tons of toxic substances or 1 percent were destroyed. from total stockpiles of chemical weapons.

From April 2003 to April 2007, the main efforts of the state in the field of destruction of chemical weapons were aimed at fulfilling the second stage of obligations under the Convention.

To this end, the operation of the first Russian facility for the destruction of chemical weapons was ensured in the village of Gorny, Saratov region, construction was completed and operation of two more facilities for the destruction of chemical weapons stockpiles began - in the city of Kambarka, Udmurt Republic (March 2006) and the village of Maradykovsky Kirov region (August 2006), which made it possible in April 2007 to successfully complete the second stage of fulfilling obligations under the Convention - to destroy 8 thousand tons of chemical agents.

Currently, work is underway to create three more facilities for the destruction of chemical weapons, located in the village of Leonidovka in the Penza region, the city of Shchuchye in the Kurgan region and the city of Pochep in the Bryansk region, and the design of a chemical weapons plant in the village of Kizner in the Udmurt Republic is being completed.

“Novichok” is a family of organophosphorus toxic substances that have a nerve-paralytic effect.

Production of the toxic substance Novichok, Wikipedia

According to Vila Mirzayanov, Novichok-5 was a further development of the A-232. Among other things, Novichok-5 is a binary toxic substance. The precursors for its production are common organophosphorus compounds, which can be produced in chemical plants for the production of chemical fertilizers or pesticides.

The development was carried out at the State Research Institute of Organic Chemistry and Technology (GosNIIOKhT) in Moscow and at the branch in Shikhany.

The main production and test site of Novichok-5 were located in the city of Nukus in Uzbekistan. In the 2000s, under US control and funding, they were closed and the remaining stockpiles of chemical weapons were destroyed.

According to a statement by Federation Council member Igor Morozov, the production of toxic substances in Russia was stopped back in the 1990s, and by September 2017, all their stocks were destroyed in accordance with international agreements under the control of international OPCW observers.

In 2018, Mirzayanov said that prototypes of this substance could be obtained in many countries thanks to his publications.

"Novichok" action

Nerve agents poison the nervous system and destroy vital body functions. In their pure state, all nerve agents are colorless and odorless liquids.

They enter the respiratory system in gaseous or aerosol form: in the form of very small solid particles or droplets, which, when released into the air, behave like a gas. Nerve agents in a liquid state penetrate the body through the skin or mucous membrane. A person can also become poisoned by consuming liquid or solid food contaminated with a nerve agent.

When a nerve agent is inhaled, poisoning occurs very quickly, with death occurring within one to ten minutes. When the nerve agent enters the body through the skin, poisoning occurs more slowly. The lethal dose of VX on exposed skin is one to two drops (5-15 mg).

In the case of a low dose of a nerve agent in gaseous or aerosol form, typical symptoms are a severe runny nose, abnormal contraction of the pupil of the eye, impaired visual accommodation, and a feeling of pressure in the chest. With more severe poisoning, these symptoms become more pronounced. Other symptoms are nausea and vomiting, spasms, convulsions and spontaneous bowel movements and urination, convulsions and coma. This is followed by respiratory arrest and death.

What injection caused Skripal to survive: data on the antidote for Novichok was revealed

Immediately after the poisoning, ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter were given an injection, which kept them alive. This opinion was expressed by one of the creators combat substance“Novichok” Vladimir Uglev.

“Perhaps it is a family of atropine, which dilates the pupils. “Nerve damage, first of all, constricts the pupils, and atropine dilates,” he suggested.

At the same time, Uglev claims that there is no absolutely effective antidote.

The history of the creation of Novichok

“Novichok” is the code name for a group of nerve gases that were developed back in the USSR in the 80s.

Gas appeared as a result of the development of new types of chemical weapons, which started in 1973. “Novichok” (or rather, “Novichki”) was created on the basis of three other substances, codenamed “Substance 33”, “A-232”, “A-234”. As part of the program to develop a new type of weapon, the task was set: to make new substances that would be many times more toxic than Russian and foreign analogues of V-gases (nerve agents). This is exactly what Novichok is, on the creation of which more than 200 people worked - mostly chemists and engineers.

The composition of "Novichok"

There are highly toxic elements that are part of the poisonous gases Soman and Sarin. The lethality of Novichok also depends on their concentration. You could even say that this is a new product. The connection between phosphorus and nitrogen is what sets this development apart from others. I can’t say what exactly this connection gives. We need to conduct experiments. Additionally, the book appears to contain the original formula. Since the path of its creation is written - evolution from early developments (A-208 - Ed.) to the latest (A-262 - Ed.).