A man carrying radioactive night-vision devices detained in Belgorod

Aug. 16, 2009

Abstract:

On August 16, 2009, radiation monitoring equipment at the Dolbino railroad crossing point of Belgorod station detected radiation emitting from railcar number 5 of the “Nikolaev-Moscow” train en route from Ukraine.[1] Using portable dosimeters, customs officials determined that a Russian citizen’s hand luggage emitted ionizing radiation over 600 times the natural background level. The sources were 28 night-vision aiming devices for Kalashnikov assault rifles, which were manufactured with a material that contained Radium-66 salts. The passenger claimed that he bought these devices at a market in Dnepropetrovsk and planned to use them for night fishing and hunting.

The items were confiscated and slated for disposal.[1] A criminal case was opened under Article 188 of the Criminal Code (smuggling). Further investigation revealed that none of the other passengers’ health was endangered.

[1] “Radioaktivnaya kontrabanda,” [Radioactive smuggling], Nash Belgorod, 2 September 2009, in Integrum Techno database, www.integrum.ru.

Abstract Number: 20090270
Headline: A man carrying radioactive night-vision devices detained in Belgorod
Date: 16 August 2009
Bibliography: "Shesdesyat Shestoy – Radioaktinvnyy" ["Sixty-Sixth, Radioactive"], Belgorodskiye Izvyestiya, 4 September 2009, in Integrum Techno database, www.integrum.ru.
Material: Radium-66

This material is produced independently for NTI by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of and has not been independently verified by NTI or its directors, officers, employees, or agents. Copyright © 2011 by MIIS.

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This article is part of a collection examining reported incidents of nuclear or radioactive materials trafficking in or originating from the Newly Independent States.