Pacific Fleet command to re-locate Vladivostok arsenal in 2003

The Pacific Fleet arsenal will be re-located in 2003 from the city of Vladivostok to a deserted place, the fleet's press centre disclosed on Friday. When addressing the other day a meeting between heads of the territorial municipal bodies, Sergei Darkin, the governor of the Maritime Territory, stated that the Pacific Fleet had insufficient finds to re-locate the arsenal from Vladivostok, hence the resolution to this problem would be funded from other sources.

The governor also promised that he would do his best to make the top authorities re-locate the fleet's arsenal to a deserted place. Meanwhile, a commission of the General Staff, Russian Navy, headed by Deputy Commander-in-Chief Mikhail Zakharenko has started working in Vladivostok. Its mission is to determine the cause of the accident.

As was previously reported, the fire broke out on Wednesday during a routine operation to destroy old ammunition. According to various sources, the fire destroyed from 12 to 13 carriages with artillery shells of various calibre. The military prosecutor's office of the Vladivostok garrison has instituted criminal proceedings under the Criminal Negligence Article. An investigation into the case has been launched.