OREANDA-NEWS. March 27, 2008. This year Ukraine will dispose 3,300 tons of melange, a liquid missile fuel component, Defense Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov said at the Government meeting.

According to him, there is a total of 16,300 tons of this extremely harmful substance at the ministry's storage facilities, and it would take several years and EUR 30-35 million to get rid of this amount. The national budget provides UAH 9 million for storage of melange every year.

The total ammunition loading of the Ministry's storage facilities makes 150%, according to Yekhanurov.

On March 6, the Defense Minister signed the memorandum on mutual understanding between the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers and OSCE regarding implementation of the joint project for disposal of melange reserves.

The project is aimed at gradual disposal of this oxidizing material via ecologically safe, technically acceptable and economically effective ways.