OSCE signs contract extension to remove remainder of toxic rocket fuel component from Ukraine

OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister  Volodymyr Omelianchuk on 15 June 2011 signed a contract extension with a Russian consortium for the safe disposal of 9,500 tonnes of a toxic rocket fuel component stored in Ukraine.

The contract extension, signed in a ceremony in Vienna, forms the last part of a major OSCE-Ukraine project to safely dispose all the 16,000 tonnes of the fuel component that was held in rusting containers across the country. Even a minor leak of the toxic liquid, known as melange, would kill anyone within 200 metres.

The extension foresees the removal of melange from sites in Bila Tserkva in the Kyiv region; Shvechenkove in the Kharkiv region, and Lyubashivka in the Odessa region.The disposal will start later this year and the depots at Bila Tserkva and Shevechenkove should be melange-free before nearby stadiums host the 2012 European Football Championship, while Lyubashivka should be free of melange by the end of 2012.

"Today we are taking a major step in eliminating this horrific threat to human life and the environment in Ukraine and the region. This is a good example how the OSCE works in military and environmental fields to improve human security," Perrin de Brichambaut said.

The project, implemented by the OSCE Secretariat, is the OSCE's largest donor-financed project so far.