Recently, the issue of the disposal of ammunition has begun to be discussed especially actively. It got ahead of even such an important topic as the deployment of anti-missile defense systems in Europe, for which there is a completely logical explanation: the European missile defense problem for the majority of the population is something abstract and distant in time, and numerous explosions at training grounds and arsenals are becoming more and more frequent.
The increase in the number of accidents at ammunition depots and the large number of human casualties, when specialists involved in the disposal process are killed, have generated a wave of protest from the civilian population. People are demanding an end to explosions. The current situation has led to the appearance of a significant number of publications and speeches, in which this problem is considered in detail and various ways of solving it are proposed. It would seem that the situation should have changed for the better with the adoption by the government of the federal program on the industrial disposal of weapons and military equipment, designed for 2011-2015 and until 2020. But … the program was approved only at the end of 2011, and so far virtually no changes have taken place. Undoubtedly, there was some benefit from the discussions after all: representatives of the military department were drawn into the dispute, who had to make public certain plans and figures. But, unfortunately, they also failed to please.
In fact, the Ministry of Defense remains not only the main customer, but also the main executor of measures related to the disposal of ammunition.
And assurances from the military that the arsenals would be converted into safe systems for storing and destroying ammunition, which were supposed to calm the public, on the contrary, generated more concern. First, it became finally clear that the military itself is destroying the ammunition, and not the industry that produced it, and which should have been engaged in their disposal. Secondly, the population is extremely concerned about the fact that the only method that is available in the Russian army continues to dispose of ammunition - for this, open detonation is used, which has an extremely negative effect on the environmental situation. Thirdly, the loud word "disposal" means nothing more than simple destruction.
Proper disposal is characterized by the use of special productions, control processes and technologies, that is, everything that is not in the Russian defense department.
But the truth, as they say, lies on the surface. The Ministry of Defense independently performs all the recycling work, because at one time it was provided with commercial functions. Someone suggested a "good" idea - let the military department support itself. Thus, in the opinion of many, the Ministry is headed by a man who understands absolutely nothing in military affairs, but is very well versed in matters of trade. It is clear that the decision to grant such "autonomy" to the military department deprived the government of a large number of problems, but the existence of the state in the state gave rise to new, even more serious ones. The existence of its own ministries of trade, finance and industry in the Ministry of Defense pursues one single goal - to obtain and retain profits within the department. All material and financial resources that are allocated by the Ministry of Defense are no longer returned to the state, and the Minister of Defense has the right to personally decide on the procurement of new weapons and military equipment, to whom to provide contracts and even what prices to set. Meanwhile, the privatization of ammunition disposal rights is damaging the state's defense industry, which is designed to meet the needs of the state in both peace and war. Therefore, its enterprises must maintain capacities (mobrezerv), which are too expensive, leading to the fact that the products become uncompetitive. Defense industry enterprises exist in order not only to produce, but also to dispose of ammunition. And if the military warehouses are full and there is a need to cut production, then the enterprises must be loaded with recycling work. If this is not done, they will simply cease to exist, since there is nowhere to take any other means for development.
At the same time, while the military department is trying to get more profit, tragic incidents continue at training grounds and military depots, as a result of which people, most often conscripts, die.
So, during the period 1994-2011, there were 29 fires in military warehouses, as a result of which, in most cases, the detonation of ammunition occurred, the damage caused amounted to more than 11 billion rubles.
Here are just a few examples. In the summer of 2002, an explosion occurred at the arsenal in the Volga region, 6 wagons with ammunition were destroyed. In 2009, a fire broke out at a military arsenal in Ulyanovsk, during its elimination safety rules were violated, as a result, ammunition detonated, and 11 people died. In 2011, there were several more fires, which were accompanied by explosions. The difference between them was only a week. So, on May 26, a fire broke out at a military warehouse near the city of Urman, as a result of which 12 people were injured. June 2 - a similar incident occurred at the arsenal near Izhevsk, but the number of victims was much larger - about 100 people. And more recently, another tragedy occurred - during the unloading of ammunition at the Mulino training ground, an explosion occurred, as a result of which conscripts were killed. And just the other day, there was another case of explosions of ammunition - at the artillery depot of a military unit located about 300 kilometers from Vladivostok. At the moment, it is known about two victims.
At first glance, it seems that the problem can be completely solved, for this, in fact, a new recycling program was approved. However, the military department decided to use its own methods. In a great hurry, the process of disposing of the decommissioned ammunition was started by open detonation at military ranges. The Deputy Minister of Defense explains this rush by the fact that it is necessary to destroy a fairly large amount of ammunition: more than 10 million tons of ammunition are stored in 150 warehouses and arsenals, which are planned to be closed, which have expired. They pose a great danger, since the characteristics of explosives have changed over time. Therefore, their further storage threatens to lead to new tragedies and emergencies. In addition to the fact that there is a real threat of an explosion, there is another reason why expired ammunition must be eliminated - significant sums are needed to maintain them. And since no one can give any guarantees that they will not detonate right in the warehouses, the Ministry of Defense decided to take such a dangerous step as undermining.
Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov issued an order according to which detonations of unusable ammunition were organized at 65 military ranges. This procedure, although dangerous from the point of view of safety and environmental friendliness, is at the same time highly effective. So, in 2011 alone, more than 1.3 million tons of ammunition were disposed of, 255 groups with a total number of more than 12.5 thousand people and 1.7 thousand pieces of equipment were used during the detonation. At the same time, according to Deputy Defense Minister Dmitry Bulgakov, it would take industry 19 years to dispose of such amounts of ammunition.
But the problem cannot be solved in this way. The military department has long lacked qualified specialists who could perform high-quality subversive work. Therefore, for such types of work, conscripts are mainly attracted.
The Ministry of Defense claims that it has taken all the necessary security measures and thought out a work plan, where all stages of disposal are spelled out to the smallest detail. Also, a classification of ammunition was developed according to the degree of explosiveness. Samples of these documents are held by all officers involved in the disposal process.
The military department says that it is not at all opposed to the adoption of a new utilization program, but at the same time notes that the prospects for its use and effectiveness are under a big question mark. In addition, the defense industry itself is no longer interested in disposal, since there is still a certain amount of ammunition with a low content of valuable materials. It is very costly to dispose of them. The industrial method of disposal was beneficial at a time when military warehouses and arsenals were disposing of ammunition with brass casings. Since brass is an expensive material, it was sold, the gunpowder was burned, and the shell, inside which the explosive was left, was transported back to the warehouse. This was recycling.
At the present time, in military warehouses, there are mainly ammunition for grenade launchers, mines and unguided missiles, which are simply impossible to disassemble in a short time.
Another serious problem arose before the Ministry of Defense - it is planned to close 150 military warehouses and arsenals by 2015, and all the ammunition that was stored on them is supposed to be transported to 35 new facilities outside the settlements. There have already been built 145 storage facilities equipped with fire extinguishing and temperature control systems. Construction of another 1200 storage facilities has been planned and started. They should accommodate more than 6, 6 thousand wagons of ammunition. And by 2014 there should be no expired ammunition left. Thus, the total volume of ammunition should be 3 million tons.
According to the head of the State Duma Defense Committee Vladimir Komoedov, it is planned to allocate 30 billion rubles from the funds that were received for the fulfillment of the state defense order, to improve the conditions for storing ammunition. He is convinced that the lack of the required number of new storage facilities threatens national security, since the ammunition is actually not protected from potential enemy attacks.
And the first deputy chairman of the committee, Sergei Zhigarev, has repeatedly stated the need to switch to a non-explosive method of disposing of ammunition, in addition, it is necessary to transfer responsibility for the careless handling of ammunition to the state. The people involved in the destruction of ammunition risk their lives, and there is always a moment of chance. Only if the government takes the burden of responsibility upon itself, it will be possible to say that all the necessary conditions and precautions will be observed.
