Ukraine to recycle military ammunition

The Cabinet on Nov. 21 approved an additional and expanded list of military ammunition to be salvaged. The appropriate decree was approved in connection with the necessity to recycle the obsolete shells unfit for further use and dangerous to be stored under the State target defense program of recycling of conventional ammunition unsuitable for further use and storage for 2008-2017, the Information-Analytical Bulletin of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine informs

The recycling program for obsolete stockpiles envisions a destruction of 474,000 tons of live ammunition. Out of those over 186,000 tons have already been processed, 288,000 tons are remaining. The amount of funding provided for recycling of obsolete ammunition is 478.7 million UAH in 2013 and 502.1 million UAH in 2014.

Government analysts say the recycling of obsolete ammunition is extremely timely and urgent issue for Ukraine.

The government has paid special attention to decommissioning of Lozovaja arsenal in Kharkiv region, where on Aug. 27, 2008, a fire detonated 63 tons of ammunition (112 storage facilities had been destroyed). The Cabinet of Ministers has set the task to complete the site cleanup and eliminate the remnants of the shells by the end of 2013. Today, a pyrotechnic unit of the Ukrainian Defense Services agency (Ukroboronservis) (165 persons) is involved with the site cleanup. The experts are finishing their activities and will soon transfer the site (with a total area of 494 hectares, of which 247 hectares form a technical area) of the arsenal for peaceful purposes.

Experts say the deactivation of military ordnance this year is performed through high-tech operations with deep recycling ratio, and not by simply exploding the ammo at the test range.