Valery Loshchinin, the permanent representative of Russia to the UN Office in Geneva, told a meeting of the Disarmament Commission that Russia had been taking steps to reduce its nuclear arsenal "on a continuing basis, without pauses or breaks."
According to the diplomat, the country's nuclear stockpile has been reduced by more than five times since 1991, and its non-strategic nuclear arsenal by four times since 1999.
As of January 1, 2006, Russia still had 927 operational carriers of strategic offensive weapons and 4,300 warheads that fall under the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.
Loshchinin said Russia had been meeting its obligations to reduce its nuclear arsenal according to its unilateral commitments and agreements with the United States, including the Treaty on Strategic Offensive Reductions, which stipulates that both Russia and the United States must lower the number of strategic nuclear warheads to 1,700-2,200 by 2013.
