On June 17, 2008 Russia opened its new Leonidovka chemical weapons destruction facility. The Director General of the OPCW, Rogelio Pfirter was on hand for the official opening of the facility, and the event was well-covered in the international media.

Russia steps up destruction of chemical weapons – Reuters
Russia will open a new facility on Tuesday to continue destroying its formidable arsenal of chemical weapons, the world’s biggest, as part of its drive to eliminate all such weapons by 2012 …

Russia destroys more chemical arms – RussiaToday
Russia has taken a key step towards destroying all its chemical weapons, with the opening of another site to neutralise arms. The country is already ahead …

OPCW to prevent chemical weapons from falling to terrorists – ITAR-TASS
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) will not cease to exist after the whole reported stock of chemical weapons in the world will have been destroyed …

Russia opens 4th chemical weapons destruction plant – Associated Press – International Herald Tribune
Russia opened a fourth plant Tuesday to destroy its chemical weapons stockpiles, which are the largest in the world. The destruction facility, near the site of one of Russia’s seven …

New chemical weapons destruction plant operational by August – RussiaToday
A new facility for destroying chemical weapons in Russia’s Penza region is expected to be operational by August. The new facility is part of Russia’s international obligation to …