I read through the transcript of the interrogation. My testimony is written down correctly. I have no additions or amendments.
The suspect was interrogated and the transcript was compiled by
Senior Investigator of the Investigation Department
at the MB RF,
Captain of Justice
V.A. Shkarin
Annex 11
Top Secret
Moscow
October 28, 1992
Captain of Justice Shkarin, Senior Investigator of the Investigation Department at the Ministry of Security of the Russian Federation, interrogated the suspect, VIL SULTANOVICH MIRZAYANOV, born on March 9, 1935 in the village Stary Kangysh, Djirtjuli region, Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (other personal details are to be found in the case), in his office observing requirements stipulated in Articles 123, 150-152 of the RSFSR Criminal Code.
The interrogation started at 10.40 A.M.
The interrogation finished at 12.40 P.M.
Question: Do you request the presence of a lawyer at today’s interrogation?
Answer: The investigator explained to me that my wife Nuria Khalitovna Mirzayanova made an agreement for my defense with Alexander Yakovlevich Asnis, a lawyer from Legal Advice Office N 10. He didn’t produce a permit to work with classified documents and wasn’t allowed to participate in the case. To the best of my knowledge, there are no other hindrances that prevent Alexander Ya. Asnis from participating in the case. I don’t need a lawyer at today’s interrogation. I decline the services of lawyer Leonid Grigorievich Belomestnykh.
Question: Did you give information about the development of chemical weapons in Russia to the mass media, apart from the editors of the newspaper “Moscow News”?
Answer: I wrote about the fact of the development of new chemical weapons in Russia in the article “Inversion” that was published in October 10, 1991 issue of the newspaper “Kuranty”. I wrote that article and took it to the editor’s office myself. I was under the impression that there was a victory by the Russian people in crushing the coup attempt. I foresaw then that the leaders of the military-industrial complex would continue the development, production, and testing of chemical weapons contrary to the national interests of Russia, despite the agreement concluded that year between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. governments to discontinue the development, production, and testing of chemical weapons, since those leaders didn’t believe then, and don’t believe now, that democratization is possible in our country. The military-chemical complex pursues its entirely selfish and profitable ends; it is still at the helm of power and feeds on the useless expenditure of people. This powerful elite is still using all its strength to try to keep the former structures together, in order to meet their above-mentioned objectives. I knew about the development of new chemical weapons in Russia, at the State Russian Science Research Institute for Organic Chemistry and Technology (GRNIIOKhT) because I worked at that institute on the problem of the development of new chemical agents. No criminal proceedings were instituted against me because of that article, and I didn’t even receive a disciplinary action. Moreover, at this time two employees of the institute, who had access to even more information about the new chemical weapons, immigrated to the U.S. and to Israel. This means that the relevant authorities and administration of the institute did not protect information about the development of the new chemical weapons in Russia. In 1991 Boris Yakovlevich Libman, former chief engineer of the Volgograd Khimprom Production Association, Deputy Director for Science at the Volgograd branch of GRNIIOKhT, immigrated to the U.S. In 1992 Yefim Lazarevich Galperin, formerly Leading Research Assistant, Doctor of Chemical Science, immigrated to Israel. I don’t know whether or not these people gave away information to foreign states about the development of new chemical weapons in Russia.
On September 15, 1992, I gave an interview to William Englund, a correspondent from the American newspaper “The Baltimore Sun”, in which I told him about almost everything contained in the whole article “Poisoned Policy” as prepared for publication in the newspaper “Moscow News;” that is, I told the correspondent that binary weapons had been developed. In the interview I stated the fact that the new chemical agent was more potent than a similar American chemical agent. I gave this interview together with Lev Aleksandrovich Fedorov.
On October 21, 1992, I signed an article for the newspaper “Argumenti i Fakty” together with Lev A. Fedorov, about the issues of production and testing of chemical weapons in Russia, destruction of its stockpiles, as well as the related problems of ecological safety. Fedorov wrote this article himself using my version of an article, which I had given to him at the beginning of September in 1992. On the same day, that is, on October 21, Fedorov and I gave an interview to Oleg Vishnyakov, a correspondent from the magazine “Novoe Vremya”. In this interview I presented my version of the nature of the new chemical agent and my version of the binary weapons that had been developed based on it. In particular, I said that about two years ago scientists from our institute had developed a new chemical agent, which by its characteristics exceeds by 5-8 times the toxicity of the currently existing chemical agents of the VX type. It causes practically incurable lesions, even if only the skin is exposed to it. Binary weapons that proved to be significantly more potent than the American binary weapons, were developed based on the new chemical agent. Each of the components of the American binary weapon taken separately is completely safe. However, one of the components of our weapon is a chemical agent.
An industrial batch of the new chemical agent was produced at the Volgograd plant. My version is based on own my intuition as a scientist who worked at GRNIIOKhT in the field of physical chemical analysis of micro-concentrations of chemical agents in various media. I was never offered and never received royalties for publishing the aforementioned articles.
I have read the interrogation transcript.
My testimony has been transcribed accurately. I don’t want to make any alterations or additions to the report.
The suspect was interrogated and the transcript was compiled by
Senior Investigator of the Investigation Department at