Penza, 27 August 2015. PenzaNews. The final stages of chemical weapons elimination at the Leonidovka facility was the main topic of the meeting between the acting governor of the Penza region Ivan Belosertsev and the head of the Federal Chemical Weapons Secure Storage and Elimination Department Colonel General Valery Kapashin held in the regional government on Thursday, August 27.

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The object’s mission was fully clear right from the start, Ivan Belozertsev noted.

“The main thing is that all the necessary safety requirements were followed,” he stressed.

During the meeting, the parties went through the eco-monitoring information that registered no environment protection breaches, with no chemical weapon or chemical weapon byproduct traces in air, water or soil.

The facility must undergo additional air purification and sanitation procedures for the equipment and the buildings.

“In the future, the location may house any other production plant without any danger. We already have offers on using the Leonidovka facilities,” he said.

The Leonidovka chemical weapons elimination plant will be rendered fully safe within the next five years, Valery Kapashin added.

He noted that the end products of the aforementioned elimination is heat-treated ferrous and non-ferrous materials usable for recycling, while ash and non-flammable materials will be buried at a dedicated waste site currently in development.

The Colonel General and the acting governor also discussed the possible ceremony dedicated to the end of the chemical weapons elimination scheduled for September 22.

As the press service of the Penza region government informed PenzaNews agency, the Leonidovka facility eliminated 6,885 tons of chemical weapons, or 17% of the Russian reserves.