§ Mr. BrazierTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are his most recent estimates for each ex-Soviet state of the number of scientists with experience in building nuclear weapons.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonI have been asked to reply. The number of scientists in the former Soviet Union with some knowledge of nuclear weapons production is about 10,000 to 15,000; the vast majority are Russians. Only 2,000 to 3,000 of these have access to the most sensitive information. Of the former Soviet republics only Russia has a nuclear weapons production capability.
§ Mr. BrazierTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his most recent estimate of the size of the ex-Soviet nuclear arsenal in terms of numbers of warheads in each republic of the former union.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonI have been asked to reply. It is estimated that the former Soviet Union's nuclear arsenal consists of some 27,000 or more nuclear warheads. The vast majority are based in Russia but it is estimated that in Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus there are about 1,500, 1,200 and 80 warheads respectively.
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§ Mr. BrazierTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the number of weapons that are no longer under the control of the KGB.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonI have been asked to reply. The internal functions of the former KGB are now the responsibility of the Russian Ministry of Security. The Ministry of Security controls no major armed forces formations or weapons systems; those formerly under the command of the KGB have been transferred to the Russian Ministry of Defence.