The missile division in Kostroma just sent its last but one train with its three SS-24/RT-23UTTH missiles for elimination.
Although the rail-mobile SS-24/RT-23UTTH missiles has been slated for elimination for quite a while and the division was scheduled to be disbanded by the end of 2005, the Kostroma division still had 15 missiles (this would be five trains) listed as operational in START data in January 2005. Now there is only one left. Theoretically, the remaining three missiles can still be kept on duty, but it is much more likely that the train is busy preparing for its own departure.
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Although the operational service life of the SS-24/RT-23UTTH is nearing its end, it appears that the missiles themselves will still be stored for an indeterminate time. According to the Fiscal Year 2006 Cooperative Threat Report to the U.S. Congress, the "DoD informed Ukraine in FY 2003 that it would not provide an SS-24 Propellant Disposition Facility to remove propellant from loaded motor case (LMCs) by means of water washout; however, DoD is assisting Ukraine to store safely 163 SS-24 LMCs through the end of FY 2005. Since Ukraine has not identified an alternative to water washout to remove propellant from LMCs, the SS-24 Missile Motor Elimination project was not initiated. DoD has offered repeatedly to assist Ukraine with open burning or detonation as alternatives to the water washout approach." Do you have any insight on the number of SS-24 missiles in the Russian inventory? Will the Ukraine build a burn facility? Or would the Russians assist Ukraine in the disposition?
Thank you for the interesting quote. As I understand the situation, Ukraine doesn't want to burn rocket motors on its territory. It's though to be quite dirty. Russia has built (with CTR money) a facility in Votkinsk to eliminate solid-propellant missiles by burning, but the last reports that I can find (from November 2004) indicate that it did not start operations because of environmental concerns.
I'm sure Ukraine would not want to take the SS-24 missiles (they were manufactured in Pavlograd, Ukraine) back for elimination. So, Russia will have to deal with these missiles (as well as with Topol/SS-25 and R-39/SS-N-20) itself. If Russia will start the elimination facility after all, I don't see a reason why it wouldn't want to take Ukrainian missiles (for a price, of course).
As for the number of SS-24s, START January 2005 MOU lists 46.
In regard to Votkinsk, perhaps the environmental concerns you cited doomed the burn facility there. Again from the 2006 CTR Report, "[In FY 2004] A Fourier Transform Infrared Environmental Monitoring Unit was transferred from the terminated Solid Rocket Motor Disposition Facility project in Votkinsk to Perm to monitor SRM burn activities." Further, the report states that six SS-24s were eliminated; presumably at Perm.
I think you are right - the facility in Votkinsk is doomed. I'm not sure what kind of facility is in Perm, though. I'll have to check.
Here is what I found - Missiles are hard to get rid of