A team of Security Ministry officials detained two scientists for revealing that Russia continues to produce chemical weapons despite international promises to the contrary, according to press reports and the account of one of the men.


The two chemists, Vil Mirzayanov and Lev Fyodorov, detailed their findings that Russia had covertly tested the most powerful binary chemical weapon ever in a Sept. 20 article in the weekly Moscow News.


The Security Ministry, the successor to the KGB, said that the article "disclosed information about the situation with developments in the field of chemical technology, which constitute a state secret", The Associated Press reported.


Fyodorov was released after a day in detention, but his colleague remained in custody at Lefortovo Prison, Izvestia reported Friday.


On Sunday evening, the duty Security Ministry spokesman, Vladimir Stepanov, said he did not know if Mirzayanov was still in custody.


Fyodorov told The Moscow Times that several dozen security agents appeared at his house at 7: 30 A. M. Thursday with a search warrant. They seized various items including two copies of the Sept. 20 issue of Moscow News, which carried the article.


Security agents also appeared that day at Moscow News, where they photocopied the article, Izvestia reported.


On Saturday, the newspaper Kuranty wrote that one reason for the arrest was that the lead scientist behind the binary chemical weapons program had received $25 million from the U. S. to destroy the weapons.


Another reason, Kuranty wrote, is the government's embarrassment in having its chemical weapons program exposed after President Boris Yeltsin said in January that Russia was complying with an arms control agreement.