Seized Uranium in Georgia Could Be Untraceable

Authorities might never determine the origin of weapon-grade uranium seized from a smuggler last year in Georgia, RIA Novosti reported yesterday (see GSN, Jan. 29).

Russian Oleg Khinsagov was caught trying to sell a 100-gram sample for $1 million.  He purported to have access to up to 3 kilograms of the material.  Georgian officials have said they believe the material was stolen from Russian facilities, but a Russian nuclear expert said it could be difficult to be certain where the material was enriched.

“If this uranium was produced in the 1940s to 1950s, it will be extremely difficult to identify the country of origin,” said the expert, a research associate with the Russian Scientific Research Institute of Nuclear Reactors.

He asserted that it would be extremely difficult to steal such material today (RIA Novosti, Jan. 30.).

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