Russia And Weapons Of Mass Destruction
According to the Federation of American Scientists, a renowned organization for assessing nuclear weapon stockpiles, Russia possesses the largest stockpile of weapons of mass destruction in the world. The organization also claims that Russia has 4,650 active nuclear warheads, while the U.S. has 2,468. Other sources however say that the U.S. has more nuclear warheads and the actual numbers remain a subject of estimations and ongoing constant discussion depending on their respective source. In addition to nuclear weapons, Russia declared an arsenal of 39,967 tons of chemical weapons in 1997, of which 57% have been destroyed. The Soviet Union ratified the Geneva Protocol on January 22, 1975 with reservations. The reservations were later dropped on January 18, 2001. Russia is also party to the Biological Weapons Convention and the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Read more about Russia And Weapons Of Mass Destruction: Biological Weapons, Chemical Weapons
Famous quotes containing the words russia, mass and/or destruction:
“A fool may be a dangerous customer, but the fact of his having such a vulnerable top-end turns danger into a first-rate sport; and whatever defects the old administration in Russia had, it must be conceded that it possessed one outstanding virtue—a lack of brains.”
—Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977)
“The great mass of people ... will more easily fall victim to a big lie than to a small one.”
—Adolf Hitler (1889–1945)
“Living substance conquers the frenzy of destruction only in the ecstasy of procreation.”
—Walter Benjamin (1892–1940)