Despite what is frequently stated in the western press, there is no
single substance known as Novichok. Novichok agents were developed in
the 1950s through to the 1990s. They were designed as part of a Soviet
programme code-named FOLIANT.
The agents were developed at the GosNIIOKhT
(State Research Institute of Organic Chemistry and Technology), in
Moscow, by the Soviet Union and Russia between 1971 and 1993.The first
three synthesised were Substance -33, A-230 and A-232. The
structure of these substances and synthesized agents was was similar to
other nerve agents. Novichok-5 was based on A-232 structure, being the
first binary type of Newcomer agents in year 1989. During this pesticide
research program hundreds of Novichok agents were synthesized but only
Substance-33, A-230, A-232, A-234, Novichik-5 and Novichok-7 are known
to be weaponised. Potentially some twenty-five agents are
possible. The objectives were to produce agents that would penetrate
NATO protective equipment, be undetectable by existing NATO equipment,
bypass the International Chemical Weapons conventions, and be more
potent than previous nerve agents. A number of the Novichok agents were
developed to be binary weapons, that is that two chemicals that were not
covered by the current regulations could be combined at the point of use
to produce the agent itself. There is some confusion, even in the
scientific press, over the naming and chemical structures of various
Novichoks. Effects are similar to other nerve agents, although, with the
exception of Substance 33, they are believed to be significantly more
toxic than other nerve agents
Novichok agents are commonly described as the fourth generation of Nerve
agent in military classification, according to its effects in humans.
They are colourless, tasteless, and odourless, at normal ambient
temperatures. Novichok agents are mostly in liquid form, but they can be
converted into a dusty formulation by adsorbing droplets into a solid
carrier like silica gel, talc, fuller's earth or pumice. The
scientists who developed the nerve agents claim they are the deadliest
ever made, with some variants possibly five to eight times more potent
than VX, and others up to ten times more potent than soman.[10
Novichok-5 and Novichok-7 are reported to act very rapidly, penetrating
the skin and respiratory system. Symptoms range from sweating and
twitching to seizures and an inability to breathe.
Novichoks are, generally, even less volatile than VX-nerve agents,
which means they are the slowest to evaporate from liquid form into
vapour. They are non-volatile compounds (NVOC) and highly persistent.
Exposure to Novichok agents is fatal unless aggressively managed.
Exposure symptoms are pinpoint pupils, runny nose, breathing
difficulties, convulsions, sweating, nausea, vomiting, seizures, loss of
consciousness, and ultimately death. Long-term neurological problems are
likely for those that have been exposed to Novichoks.
Novichok agents came to public attention after they were used to poison
opponents of the Russian government, including the Skripals and two
others in Amesbury, UK (2018), and Alexei Navalny (2020), but civil
poisonings with these substances have been known since at least 1995.
Novichoks had been known of by western intelligence since the early
1990s.
VR is a "V-series" unitary nerve agent
and an isomer of VX. It is a clear, amber-coloured odourless liquid. VR
has similar lethal dose levels to VX (between 10 & 50 mg).
The human LD50
is estimated to be less than 0.1mg. However it thought to be less
suitable for weaponisation than other agents such as A-232 and A-234,
due to issues with the liquid agent exhibiting low volatility and
solidifying at low temperatures, as well as poor stability in the
presence of water.
It is reportedly a solid rather than a
volatile liquid as with most nerve agents, and in order to weaponise it
successfully, it had to be converted to a fine powder form that could be
dispersed as a dust.
It is reportedly a solid rather than a
volatile liquid as with most nerve agents, and in order to weaponise it
successfully, it had to be converted to a fine powder form that could be
dispersed as a dust.