All-Russian
Scientific Research Institute of Experimental Physics (VNIIEF)
Avangard
Electromechanical Plant
Archived Sarov,
VNIIEF and Avangard Developments
General
Nuclear Weapons Developments
The city of Arzamas-16 was established in 1946 as
the location of the Soviet Union's nuclear weapons research and development
facilities.[1] It is located at the confluence of the Satis and Sarovka
rivers, and takes up an area of 232 sq. km, 30 sq. km of which is devoted
to the nuclear facilities. Once the site was chosen, a barbed-wire fence
was put up literally overnight.[2] The original laboratories were set up
in the buildings of the Sarovskaya Pustyn monastery.[1] In 1994, Arzamas-16
was renamed Kremlev. On 14 August 1995, President Yeltsin signed a law which
officially changed the city's name to Sarov, its original, historical name.[3] Two nuclear weapons-related enterprises are located in Sarov: the All-Russian
Scientific Research Institute of Experimental Physics (VNIIEF), a nuclear
weapons design laboratory, and the Avangard
Electromechanical Plant, a nuclear warhead
assembly and disassembly plant. Sarov participates in the
US
Department of Energy's Nuclear Cities Initiative (NCI) program.
The
Analytical Center for
Nonproliferation was opened in Sarov to promote nonproliferation-related research
and analysis.[4] For
an archive of developments at VNIIEF,
Avangard, and
Sarov, see
the archived
developments section below. For recent major developments, see the General
Nuclear Weapons Developments
file.
Sarov
(formerly Arzamas-16, also known as Kremlev), Nizhniy Novgorod Oblast,
about 60km southwest of Arzamas.
http://www.vniief.ru/
, Directorate of Nuclear
Warhead Design and Testing.
VNIIEF was founded in 1946, under the leadership
of Yuliy Khariton, as the Soviet Union's main research and development
center for nuclear weapons. Originally called KB No. 11, it developed the
first Soviet atomic bomb in 1949. VNIIEF was originally established to
produce 20 RDS-1 atomic bombs yearly, but beginning in December 1949,
VNIIEF's output grew sharply. VNIIEF was the first to produce the RDS-6S
hydrogen bomb and the only Russian weapons facility to produce the RDS-1
and RDS-3 nuclear bombs, the 4R ICBM warhead, and the 100 megaton RDS-37.
(Warhead production was carried out at the Avangard
plant in Sarov.) In 1955 VNIIEF first began developing the 4R
warhead and work expanded to include production of warheads for torpedoes
and strategic cruise missiles.[11]
In 1992, President Boris Yeltsin declared VNIIEF
a Federal Nuclear Center.[1] In 1995, around 24,000 people were employed
at VNIIEF.[2] As of April 1998 the Center employed approximately 18,500
individuals, including 160 new employees who joined VNIIEF in 1997.[10]
VNIIEF is currently involved in nuclear weapons research, design, and development
and advanced weapons research, including the Iskra-5 iodine laser.[3] VNIIEF
also studies nuclear reactor physics, controlled fusion, and the impact
of ionizing radiation on health.[4]
VNIIEF falls under Minatom's Directorate of Nuclear
Warhead Design and Testing.[5] Warheads are tested by the explosions department
at a facility called Area 19.[6]
Though the primary mission of Arzamas-16 has been
to design nuclear warheads, weapons-related activity made up only 60 percent
of total operations in 1992.[7] Production levels were to be decreased
to 50 percent by 1995[7], but in 1996, weapons-related activity made up
57 percent of VNIIEF's activity.[8] The activities of VNIIEF are
broken down as follows: R&D in the areas of nuclear warheads, weapons
automation, and non-nuclear ammunition--57 percent; R&D in the areas
of materials science, nuclear and laser physics and engineering, and supercomputers--34
percent; and high-tech projects in the fields of power engineering, mechanical
engineering, instrumentation, the environment and medicine--9 percent.[8]
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, VNIIEF began research
and development of conventional weapons and their components, using gas
dynamics research, missile theory, and computational modeling. VNIIEF's
Gas Dynamics complex employs roughly 1,000 specialists and engineers, and
includes a research institute that studies the behavior of substances under
extreme pressures, a closed complex for the study of the properties
of explosive materials, and a system of internal test sites.[12]
By mid-1993, VNIIEF had signed memoranda or protocols
with several foreign nuclear laboratories, including the US national weapon
laboratories, China's Academy of Engineering and Physics, the Department
of Military Application of France's Atomic Energy Commission, the EU's
Central Bureau of Nuclear Measurements, and the Institute of Physics of
the Czech Academy of Sciences.[9]
For archived developments at VNIIEF, please see the
VNIIEF
and Avangard Developments section, below.
For more recent, significant developments, please see the General
Nuclear Weapons Developments
file.
VNIIEF was one of the first sites to participate in the US
Department of Energy MPC&A program and
initially demonstrated DOE's Lab-to-Lab program. Upgrades
at VNIIEF began in 1994 with a pilot project and were limited to a few buildings
within the VNIIEF complex. The pilot project was completed in 1995 and was used
to demonstrate MPC&A methods and technologies that could be used at other
facilities within the Minatom weapons complex. The initial upgrades focused on five areas: 1) computerized
accounting and tracking systems; 2) systems to measure nuclear material in containers; 3) physical access control systems (portal monitors, metal
detectors, magnetic card readers, hand geometry readers); 4) equipment to
monitor nuclear materials in containers (bar-code readers,
seals, motion detectors); and 5) equipment to locate and identify lost or stolen
nuclear materials.[1]
VNIIEF consists of two zones: the
Industrial Zone and the Scientific Zone. Within the two zones there are 16
individual fenced and guarded areas; 10 in the Industrial Zone and six in the
Scientific Zone, including the Reactor Site and the Testing Site. The Industrial Zone includes three
central storage facilities. Located within the Scientific Zone, the
Reactor Site
contains two working research reactors. The Reactor Site in the
Scientific Zone was the first area where MPC&A upgrades were completed. Work
there began in 1997 and continued throughout
1999. Upgrades included access control to the perimeter and facility, physical
inventories of nuclear material as well as improved accounting and tracking of
nuclear material.[1,2]
In the fall of 1997, MPC&A works were expanded to all sites that process or
store highly enriched uranium (HEU) and plutonium.[2] As of July 1999, VNIIEF had completed a
threat analysis and design for a comprehensive MPC&A system, which is now
being implemented at all 16 sites. However,
in September 1999, DOE halted new MPC&A contracts at VNIIEF, VNIITF, Zarechnyy
(Penza-19), Lesnoy
(Sverdlovsk-45), Trekhgornyy
(Zlatoust-36), and Sarov
(Arzamas-16) because DOE had
not received the proper assurances (either physical access or photo or video
confirmation) from Minatom that upgrades at these sites could be
accounted for.[3] Contracts that were signed prior to September 1999
continue to be fulfilled by DOE. In May 2000, both sides agreed to a
proposal that allowed new work, albeit limited in scope, to begin at VNIIEF and
VNIITF.[4]
For a detailed description of the MPC&A work performed
at VNIIEF in 1997-1998, please see DOE's December 1997 document,
United
States/ Former Soviet Union Program of Cooperation on Nuclear Material
Protection, Control, and Accounting: Partnership for Nuclear Security
and DOE's September 1998 document, United
States/ Former Soviet Union Program of Cooperation on Nuclear Material
Protection, Control, and Accounting: Partnership for Nuclear Security.
.
Seven reactors (five operational, two decommissioned)
BIGR
uranium-graphite impulse, air cooled
2,500MJ per impulse
can use up to 7kg of 90% HEU
Operational
VIR-2M
solution impulse
81MJ per impulse
can use up to 7kg of 90% HEU
Operational
BIR-2M
uranium-metal impulse
5MJ per impulse
can use up to 90kg of 85% HEU
Operational
BR-1
uranium-metal impulse
50MJ per impulse
can use up to 350kg of 90% HEU
Operational
GIR
Fast reactor with hybrid core
Operational
VIR-2
soluble moderator
This reactor was shut down in 1978.
VIR-1
Shut down in 1966.
One
FKBN-2M
Operational
VNIIEF describes this as a
"facility for criticality and solid core testing."
Sarov (formerly Arzamas-16), Nizhniy Novgorod Oblast, about 60km southwest of
Arzamas.
Ministry of Atomic Energy
(Minatom). Avangard falls under the supervision of the Nuclear
Munitions Production Department.
Avangard is one of four warhead fabrication and disassembly sites; the
others are Lesnoy (Sverdlovsk-45),
Trekhgornyy (Zlatoust-36), and
Zarechnyy (Penza-19).[6] Avangard was created in 1946, during the same
time as VNIIEF, as a production facility for the weaponry developed by VNIIEF.
It was the first Soviet enterprise to mass-produce nuclear armaments. Avangard
became an independent plant in 1957.[1] At this time, Avangard began to focus on
nuclear warhead production. In 1962, Avangard began manufacturing security
systems that are used at the Kremlin and other government buildings, and borders
and customs check points.[7] Avangard reports to the Nuclear Munitions
Production Department of Minatom.[2]
Avangard currently dismantles old nuclear
weapons and those removed from launchers under the START treaty.[1,3] As
part of the conversion and restructuring of the Russian nuclear industry,
assembly of nuclear weapons at the Avangard plant in Sarov ceased in the year 2000.[8] According to a 1995 Komsomolskaya pravda
article,
Avangard has the most efficient system for the assembly and dismantlement
of nuclear warheads of all of Minatom's enterprises.[4] According to Bukharin,
however, the site's dismantlement capacity is estimated to be small.[5] Avangard's conversion projects include development and production of dialysis
machines, automobile engine filters, and security alarms (its most successful
line).[3] In August 2000, the newly created 10-acre Avangard
Technopark was commissioned in an area that was formerly part of the restricted zone of the Avangard
plant (for more information, see the 8/30/2000 entry below).[9] In September 2001, the Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy
informed the United States that Avangard will cease all nuclear weapons
activities by the end of 2003.[10] For more information on recent developments at Avangard,
please see the VNIIEF and Avangard Developments
section.
The Avangard Electromechanical Plant participates in the US
Department of Energy's MPC&A program. MPC&A upgrades at
Avangard and Russia's three other assembly/disassembly
facilities were scheduled to begin in 1998. While some portal monitors
and other equipment have been sent to these facilities, US experts have
not been given direct access to these sites. In September 1999, DOE established
a policy that no new contracts for work with Avangard, Start
Production Association (PO Start), the Elektrokhimpribor
Combine, the Instrument-Making Plant,
VNIIEF,
and VNIITF would
be signed until the issue of appropriate access was resolved.[1] In the summer of 2000, pilot projects were begun at VNIIEF and
VNIITF. However, no new work at the assembly/disassembly facilities has
been undertaken since September 1999.[2] As of February 2001, MPC&A
upgrades at Avangard were still on hold.[3]
This section is no longer being updated. For major
recent developments, see the General
Nuclear Weapons Developments
file.
10/14/2003: TWO SAROV RESIDENTS CONVICTED IN PHONY PLUTONIUM DEAL CASE
On 14 October 2003, Sarov's municipal court convicted two local residents who
fraudulently offered to sell weapons-grade plutonium allegedly stolen from the
closed city’s storage facility.[1,2,3,4] The court sentenced Sergey Denisenko, a
36-year old local police investigator, to seven years in prison for fraud, abuse
of office, and forgery. It also sentenced Denisenko's accomplice, Valeriy Blinov,
a 51-year old construction engineer, to six years in prison for fraud and
illegal possession of weapons. According to media reports, Denisenko and Blinov
posed as employees of an unidentified Sarov nuclear facility.[4,5,6,7,8,9] They
met 54-year old Nizhniy Novgorod businessman Boris Markin, who was interested in
purchasing weapons-grade plutonium to subsequently sell it to potential clients
abroad.[1,3,4] To convince Markin that they had indeed access to nuclear
material, Blinov introduced himself as a nuclear fuel specialist, while
Denisenko presented himself in his former Russian Armed Forces major’s military
uniform. He also showed Markin his former military officer ID card that he had
kept after retiring from the army, on which he had inserted the fictitious name
and job description of Vladimir Kulashov, head of “the special transportation
department.” Denisenko and Blinov also showed Markin a fake container allegedly
designed for shipping plutonium and supposedly with weapons-grade plutonium
inside.[1,3,5,6,7,8,9,10]
The three men agreed that Markin would pay a total of $750,000 for a container
with several kilograms of plutonium, with a down payment of $50,000 that would
be used to bribe facility security and organize the transportation of the
plutonium out of Sarov.[7] After receiving the down payment, Denisenko and
Blinov disappeared. [1,2,3,5,9,10] Markin, when he realized he had been
deceived, went to the Nizhniy Novgorod Federal Security Service (FSB)
department.[5,9,11] It is not clear whether Markin reached a deal with the FSB
in exchange for information on the con men. However, according to Aleksandr
Borodin, chief of the Sarov FSB directorate, Markin was ready to incur criminal
liability (article 220 of Russia’s Criminal Code “Illegal handling of
radioactive materials”) as long as he could recover the money he had
spent.[6,8,9,11,12] The FSB had independently gathered some information about
individuals attempting to sell a consignment of weapons-grade plutonium
allegedly stolen from a secure storage site in Sarov.[1,2,6,10,11,13] In the
spring of 2003, FSB agents arrested Denisenko and Blinov, and during a
subsequent search at Blinov’s apartment found the fake container and technical
documentation as well as a firearm and a significant quantity of
ammunition.[1,3,4,9,11] In April 2003, the Sarov Prosecutor’s office charged
Denisenko under Article 159, part 3, clause “b” of Russia’s Criminal Code
(“Fraud”), Article 285, part 1 (“Abuse of official powers”) and Article 292
(“Forgery”). Blinov was charged under Article 159, part 3, clause “b” and
Article 222, part 1 (“Unlawful possession of a weapon”).[1,3,4,10,13] In July
2003, Markin died in a hospital after a car accident, however, the investigators
declared that his death was not related to the case.[5,6,8,9,11]
9/5/2003: RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
TRANSPORT ATTACK DRILL IN SAROV
An anti-terrorist training exercise designed to practice the prevention of unauthorized access to radioactive materials in
transit by road and rail and to test coordination among security services and
administrative bodies, was held in Nizhniy Novgorod
region between September 1 and 5, 2003. The so called "Sarov-2003" exercise was supervised by
Deputy Minister of Atomic Energy Anatoliy Kotelnikov and Anatoliy Abalov, Head of
Minatom's Protection of Information,
Nuclear Materials, and Facilities Department.
A large group of experts from the United States headed by the Department of
Energy's David Huizenga also took part in the drill.
7/31/2003: PUTIN VISITS SAROV,
VNIIEF, VOWS TO KEEP RUSSIA NUCLEAR
During his visit to Sarov on 31 July 2003,
President Putin, having toured
RFNC VNIIEF,
spoke in front of the center's employees. He announced that Russia will remain a nuclear power and that nuclear weapons will
continue to be fundamental to the security of the Russian state. In another
important statement, Putin declared that Russia will conduct no nuclear
tests as long as other powers will refrain from doing so. The president also stated
that it is necessary, at the same time, to continue directing VNIIEF resources to civil
production and use the power of the atom for peaceful purposes, thus maximizing
the
center's potential.[1] In conclusion, President Putin assured the scientists that VNIIEF will remain a unified complex with full government
support, no matter what restructuring takes place within the
Ministry of Atomic Energy (Minatom).[2]
Minister of Atomic Energy Aleksandr Rumyantsev, who was also present, affirmed that
Russia's nuclear shield is battle-ready, meets the highest standards and is
capable of overcoming various defense systems. The minister noted that the
maintenance of nuclear parity without testing requires the creation of modeling processes,
such as building of super-computers, laser complexes, and special testing units. According to Rumyantsev,
the entire military-industrial complex, including VNIIEF, is involved in the
development of such modeling processes.[1]
7/16/2003: MERGER OF AVANGARD
AND VNIIEF COMPLETED
As of early July 2003, Avangard Electromechanical Plant
became part of
VNIIEF, reported Privolzhye
information agency on 16 July 2003.
According to former Avangard
Director Aleksandr Orlov,
who now holds the position of VNIIEF Deputy Director for
Production, the merger was accomplished without significant job cuts. He explained that
the idea of a merger took hold some time ago when it became
apparent that EMZ
will stop all nuclear warhead related work in 2003. Conversion to civil
production would likely be unprofitable, making a merger
with VNIIEF an attractive proposition. The main challenge facing Avangard
during the merger was handling VNIIEF subdivisions where duplicate production lines and system support units
had to be reduced, along with the labor force (reduced from 2,200 to 1,900), in order to decrease
expenditures. In addition, social infrastructure was centralized.
After the merger, Avangard will remain
a manufacturer of conversion goods,
including those developed at VNIIEF.
3/24/2003: MINISTERS RUMYANTSEV AND IVANOV VISIT SAROV
On 24 March 2003, Minister of Atomic Energy Aleksandr Rumyantsev and
Minister of
Defense Sergey Ivanov visited Sarov.[1] Ivanov received an update on VNIIEF nuclear weapons research and development. He stated that VNIIEF's
role in maintaining the reliability of Russia's nuclear arsenal is important
and, therefore, should be supported "in every way."[2]
Some sources claimed that the ministers came to Sarov to discuss a possible
increase in state defense orders.[1] However, the VNIIEF press service did
not confirm this information.[3] During a meeting with journalists, the ministers also
announced that Minatom's closed cities will become open eventually, but that it
will happen in a "very distant future."[3]
2/10/2003:
FIRE AT AVANGARD DOES NOT INVOLVE URANIUM
On 10 February 2003, a fire broke out in one of the Avangard Electromechanical
Plant laboratories. It was reported that organic glass burst into flame in a
drying chamber. Initial reports about the fire claimed the chamber contained
some uranium-235 residue.[1] However, VNIIEF Chief Engineer Aleksandr Kovtun
refuted these claims. He reported that the fire was
quickly extinguished and that no radiation was released during the
accident.[2,3] Two workers, who suffered carbon
monoxide poisoning, were hospitalized.[2]
1/22/2003: VNIIEF NAMED BEST IN
CONVERSION EFFORTS
During his visit to Sarov,
First Deputy Minister of Atomic Energy Igor Borovkov announced that VNIIEF is
one of the most successful Minatom facilities in terms of implementing
conversion and non-nuclear weapons programs, Privolzhye Information Agency
reports. Borovkov also noted that VNIIEF has the highest salary scale among Minatom scientific institutes.
The minimum salary
of young specialists at VNIIEF, reportedly, equals 6,000 rubles (over $185 as of 22
January 2003).
1/20/2003: SAROV DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAM RECEIVES RECOGNITION
The
Sarov development program, administered by VNIIEF-Konversiya, was recognized as one of the best among regional and
municipal innovation programs in a national contest organized by the
Council of
Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation,
State University of
Management, and the
Open Society Institute. Implementation of the program created nearly 400 new jobs. VNIIEF-Konversiya
was established to promote
conversion activities in Sarov. (For more information, see Vladimir I. Zhigalov,
"Development of Small Innovative Companies in Sarov to Serve the Russian
Market," in Successes and Difficulties of Small Innovative Firms in Russian
Nuclear Cities: Proceedings of a Russian-American Workshop, 2002, at
http://books.nap.edu/books/0309084210/html/57.html#pagetop.)
8/2002: "TOURIST" ATTEMPTS TO ILLEGALLY ENTER SAROV
In late August
2002, the Sarov guard squad prevented an illegal entry into the city. Guards at
the entrance checkpoint stopped a Zhiguli car suspecting that the driver,
a resident of Sarov, was intoxicated. While inspecting his car, they found his companion,
a resident of Nizhniy Novgorod, hiding in the trunk. The violator of Sarov's
access regime explained that he had sought to visit a secret nuclear city out of
curiosity and a love of adventure. The
unlucky tourist was deported, while his friend may be fined and placed under
surveillance.
12/19/2001: FSB: SAROV ATTRACTS FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE AND CHECHEN REBELS
On 19 December 2001, Nizhniy Novgorod Oblast FSB Directorate Chief
Vladimir Bulavin announced at a press conference that the directorate had
prevented an attempt by a foreign diplomat to obtain information about ongoing
scientific activities at VNIIEF in Sarov. According to Bulavin, there were
several foreign intelligence agents trying to get highly classified information
about military industry facilities among the 42 diplomats who visited Nizhniy
Novgorod Oblast in 2001.[1] On 20 December 2001 (secret service appreciation
day), Gorodskoy kurer published an interview with Colonel Nikolay
Zelenkin, deputy chief of the Sarov FSB, about the increased attention that
foreign intelligence agencies pay to Sarov. Zelenkin claims that foreigners
collect every piece of information related to Sarov, including social and
economic conditions. He believes that the main objective of foreign
intelligence, especially that of the United States, is to shut down Avangard
Electromechanical Plant and undermine the Russian nuclear industry in general,
using scientific cooperation as a cover. According to Zelenkin, nearly 10
delegations from different, mainly US, laboratories were denied access to Sarov
in 2001 either by the FSB central office in Moscow or the Sarov FSB department.
Talking about the importance of security measures at nuclear facilities,
Zelenkin stated that Chechen militant leaders Khattab and Shamil Basayev
intended to launch terrorist attacks on facilities in Sarov and Snezhinsk.[2]
12/4/2001: FSB CHIEF CHAIRS MEETING OF FSB REGIONAL COUNCIL IN SAROV
On 4 December 2001, FSB Director Nikolay Patrushev participated in
a
meeting of the FSB regional council for the Volga Federal Okrug in Sarov.
Presidential Envoy to the Volga Federal Okrug
Sergey Kiriyenko took part in the meeting. Patrushev told Gorodskoy kurer that the council had discussed
interaction between the FSB and the Presidential Envoy, and coordination of activities
of the FSB at the okrug level. He also
emphasized the importance of counterintelligence measures at nuclear and
defense facilities to prevent terrorist acts and attempts by international
terrorists to acquire WMD. According to
Patrushev, in view of increased activity of foreign
intelligence in the region, Sarov should remain a closed city.
10/22/2001: MINATOM OFFICIALS VISIT SAROV, DISCUSS AVANGARD
CONVERSION EFFORTS
Nikolay Antonov, Director of the Minatom
Nuclear Industry Conversion Department, and Yevgeniy Dudochkin, Director
of the Minatom
Nuclear Munitions Production Department, visited Sarov for one day in
mid-October 2001, according to
Gorodskoy kurer. Antonov and Dudochkin addressed efforts to convert Avangard to civilian production by
2003. According to Antonov, Minatom fully funded conversion programs at
Avangard in 2001, but the plant only operated at 30% of production capacity
for the year. The plant was expected to operate at a minimum of 75% of full
capacity. Dudochkin stated that much work has already been done at Avangard
towards conversion, but results may not appear for two to three years.
Minatom believes that Avangard should focus on two or three high-technology
activities, while Avangard Director Aleksandr Orlov says that it does
not matter what Avangard manufactures, as long as the plant is commercially
viable. Gorodskoy kurer also reported that wages at Avangard are too
low to prevent workers from quitting. Workers at VNIIEF make two to three
times as much as Avangard workers, according to the paper.
9/27/2001: NUCLEAR RELATED
ACTIVITIES AT AVANGARD TO
STOP BY END OF 2003
According to the US DOE
National Nuclear Security
Administration, Russia has confirmed its decision to cease all nuclear-weapon
related production at the
Avangard Electromechanical Plant by the end of 2003.
9/19/2001: AVANGARD SUFFERS
FROM INSIDER THEFTS
On 19 September 2001, Aleksandr Orlov,
director of the Avangard
Electromechanical Plant, told
Gorodskoy kuryer that he suspected plant
employees to be behind the recent theft of printed circuit boards worth 800,000
rubles (over $27,000 as of 19 September 2001) from computer-controlled
machine tools. To prevent further
thefts, the expensive equipment has been placed under a centrally supervised alarm
system, and additional guards have been posted. In previous years, several insiders
involved in precious metal thefts from Avangard have been caught and
brought to trial.
7/18/2001: NCI-SPONSORED
LAPAROSCOPY CENTER OPENS IN SAROV
On 18 July 2001 a Laparoscopy Center opened in Sarov
under the auspices of the Department of Energy's
Nuclear Cities Initiative. According to
a National Nuclear Security Administration press release, the Center will
provide new medical technology to the city, diversify the city's economy, and
improve local and regional health care. The center could also potentially
create a health business network and attract additional investment. The
Medical College of Georgia, USA, played a lead role in developing the new Laparoscopy Center. Other partners in the $300,000 project were the
Savannah
River Site and the Rehabilitation Center Joint Stock Company of Sarov.
5/2001: SERIES OF INCIDENTS IN THE MILITARY
UNIT GUARDING VNIIEF AND SAROV
On 17 May 2001 Gorodskoy kurer reported on three incidents
involving security guards in Sarov. On 2 May 2001 a private from the military
unit that guards
VNIIEF and Sarov shot and killed himself while on guard duty at VNIIEF. His motives are not clear; the case
is under investigation by military prosecutor's office. Another private, while
on guard duty from 11 to 12
May 2001, fired a warning
shot and then injured himself in a suicide attempt. He blamed
hazing at the unit as the reason for his action; however, Gorodskoy kurer
reported that there is no evidence for these allegations.
This case is also under investigation. At the same military unit on 9 May 2001
a drunk contractor attacked a sentry, who, according to procedure, opened fire
on the perpetrator. The injured contractor later was arrested by
police.
1/2/2001 VNIIEF DIRECTOR
ANNOUNCES PLANS TO REDUCE NUMBER OF NUCLEAR SPECIALISTS IN NUCLEAR LABS
Only 12,000 nuclear specialists in
the Sarov and Snezhinsk Federal Nuclear Centers combined are needed to fulfill government orders for 2001, announced VNIIEF Director Radiy Ilkayev
on 2 January 2001.
An estimated 2,000 specialists already eligible for retirement and 4,000 still
under retirement age will be let go. According to Ilkayev, government funding stabilized in 2000,
while VNIIEF revenues from conversion projects increased. An average institute salary is 3,700 rubles ($130 as of
2 January 2001). According to Ilkayev, salaries for nuclear specialists
will gradually increase to $500 a
month. Additionally, the leading 10% of nuclear specialists will be paid several times
more than the average salary. Ilkayev
stressed that VNIIEF's main goal is to ensure the steady development of the
institute and
increase production in order to increase wages and attract
young specialists.[2]
1/2001: AVANGARD WANTS TO DEAL WITH FOREIGN COMPANIES
DIRECTLY
In January 2001 Avangard Deputy Director for
International Scientific and Technology Relations Yuriy Zavalishin met with
representatives from Nizhniy Novgorod Oblast administration and the state company
Rosvooruzheniye (Rosvoorouzhenie) to discuss the possibility of Avangard
having direct contacts with foreign customers. Arkadiy Volskiy, leader of the Union of
Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, who is familiar with
Avangard activities and has been assisting the enterprise in the international
arena, endorsed Avangard's proposal. Avangard already has a number of contracts
with the United States under the Nuclear Cities Initiative (NCI) to produce dialysis equipment and to develop and
manufacture equipment for physical protection systems. A
special document to approve Avangard's direct relations with foreign customers
is under preparation.
1/25/2001: MIKHAILOV SPEAKS ON WAGE INCREASE AT VNIIEF
According to VNIIEF Scientific Director Viktor Mikhailov,
in 1987 the average salary at VNIIEF was $250 per month; today it is $200.
Recently, facing the continuous loss of skilled experts, the VNIIEF
administration decided to increase the average wages and bonuses for health
risk, secrecy, and overtime by 30%. "In two to three years we intend to reach the average
salary of $400
per month," said Mikhailov. He emphasized that the increase in wages will
allow the institute to keep old and attract new specialists essential for new areas of research,
such as releasing nuclear energy using laser
radiation, creating nanomaterials and superstrong magnetic fields, and nuclear energy safety.
10/19/2000: NEW GENERAL DIRECTOR TALKS ABOUT AVANGARD
REFORMS
On 19 October 2000 Gorodskoy kurer published an interview with new Avangard General Director Aleksandr Orlov, where he stated that
Avangard's structure will be reformed. "We will complete all work related to nuclear
munitions by 2003; state defense orders
keep decreasing." Avangard will be forced to lay off approximately 1,300
workers: 2880-2980 workers will be left
in 2005, and only 3-5% of
them will be working on defense orders. Orlov stressed the need to create
new civilian enterprises to use the human and technical resources of Avangard. Orlov mentioned
a joint US-German-Russian company that produces
dialysis equipment (see the 23 March 2000
entry below) as a positive example of conversion at the facility. The director said that the short term goals for Avangard are to
optimize its personnel and infrastructure during the transition period.
9/3/2000: PRIVATE SHOT ATTEMPTING TO ENTER RESTRICTED ZONE
On 3 September 2000 a private from a local military
unit was detected by an alarm system while trying to get into restricted area
No. 3a. The solder was shot on the run by the guards. The intentions of the private
are unclear. The case
is still under investigation.
8/2000: ANTITERRORIST EXERCISES IN SAROV
During August 2000 representatives from the VNIIEF and Avangard
security departments, the local police department, and Minatom participated in
a series of antiterrorist exercises in Sarov. These
exercises were to test the preparedness of each
unit. Security at VNIIEF and Avangard sites was strengthened, and all activities with nuclear
devices and explosives at these sites were suspended
during the exercises. Additional security measures were imposed throughout the
city.[1] Nikolay Anoshin,
chief
of Sarov's department of internal affairs, noted that most
of the city's recently solved crimes were committed by non-residents. The city
is concerned about former construction contractors from outside the city who
continue to use temporary passes to enter Sarov unsupervised. Anoshin is
greatly opposed to the idea of allowing contractors to enter
the city in their own vehicles.[2]
8/30/2000: US SECRETARY OF ENERGY VISITS
SAROV, ATTENDS COMMISSIONING CEREMONY OF NEW TECHNOPARK AT AVANGARD
While visiting Sarov on 30 August 2000,
US Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson attended the commissioning ceremony of the newly created 10-acre Avangard
Technopark in an area that was formerly part of the restricted zone of the Avangard plant.
Avangard Technopark will
house a
joint German-US venture that produces kidney-dialysis machines and
supplies. Richardson said that the Department of Energy
(DOE) committed $4.5 million in FY 2001 for conversion projects
at the Avangard facility.[1] The funding is provided under DOE's Nuclear Cities Initiative (NCI)
program. Richardson
stated that a further sum
of $8.5 million would come from private firms interested in business
development projects in Sarov.[2]
8/25/2000: MIKHAIL KASYANOV VISITS SAROV, VNIIEF
On 25 August 2000, Prime Minister Kasyanov visited
Sarov and VNIIEF. Most of his statements during the visit concerned
Russian nuclear weapons complex issues. (For details,
see the 8/25/2000 entry in the Closed Cities and
General Weapons Facilities
Developments section). Speaking about lifting the restricted entry
regime for Sarov, Kasyanov favored the idea of limiting the city's restricted area
to
nuclear facilities only; the rest of the city should be opened up for business
development, provided proper security measures are implemented.
7/27/2000: VNIIEF OFFICIAL DISCUSSES DEBT, AVERAGE SALARY
On 27 July 2000, Sarov's online paper Gorodskoy kuryer
reported that the current wage at VNIIEF averages 3,200 rubles ($115 as of 27
July 2000). According to VNIIEF Deputy Director for Economics Gennadiy
Smirnov, the amount that VNIIEF owes to its creditors equals the monthly
balance in its salary trust fund.
3/23/2000: AVANGARD, LLNL SIGN NCI CONTRACT TO MANUFACTURE
KIDNEY DIALYSIS EQUIPMENT
On 23 March 2000, representatives from Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the Avangard Foundation, which
represents the Avangard Electromechanical Plant,
signed
a contract to manufacture kidney dialysis equipment under the Nuclear
Cities Initiative (NCI). Avangard facilities will be converted to support
the manufacturing of dialysis equipment, which will create jobs for several
hundred former weapons specialists. (For details, see the 23
March 2000 development in the Nuclear Cities Initiative file.)
3/14/2000: EUROPEAN STATES DISCUSS CREATION OF EUROPEAN
NUCLEAR CITIES INITIATIVE
During the conference "Helping Russia Downsize its
Nuclear Weapons Complex" held on 14 March 2000 in Princeton, New Jersey,
the Italian-based non-governmental organization Landau
Network-Centro Volta promoted the creation of a European Nuclear Cities
Initiative (ENCI) to complement the US DOE's Nuclear
Cities Initiative. Initially, the ENCI would be limited to two pilot
cities, Snezhinsk (Chelyabinsk-70) and Sarov (Arzamas-16).
For details, see the 14 March
2000 entry in the Nuclear
Cities Initiative Developments section of the NIS Nuclear and Missile
Database.)
12/30/99: SAROV OFFICIALS REPORT POPULATION GROWTH
On 30 December 1999, the Moscow newspaper Vek
published an interview with Sarov Mayor Gennadiy Karatayev, who reported
that the city's birth rate is lower than its mortality rate. In spite
of this, the number of residents living in Sarov (Arzamas-16) has grown
as residents from other regions in Russia and the Newly Independent States
have sought to get permanent residence in the city, which has become well-known
for its ability to pay pensions on time and its relatively reliable utility
service. According to Karatayev, the Sarov administration is looking forward
to further improving the city's financial situation, and the FY2000 municipal
budget is already 160 million rubles larger than the FY1999 budget.
Karatayev added that one-third of the city's public apartments are distributed
free of charge to qualified residents who are waiting for housing.
Other apartments are sold to residents for 30 to 100 percent of the apartment's
value, and Sarov has also instituted a mortgage program to help residents
buy housing.
12/17/99: AVANGARD DIRECTOR REVIEWS RESTRUCTURING
PROGRAMS
In the 17 December 1999 issue of Krasnaya zvezda,
Avangard General Director Yuriy Zavalishin reported that Avangard dismantled
fewer warheads in 1999 than in 1998 because of insufficient financing.
Avangard is currently reorganizing its operations but, as Zavalishin noted,
Avangard is obligated to continue working with nuclear components and dismantling
old warheads. Zavalishin added that dismantlement is more dangerous than
assembling a new weapon because the condition of the old materials is not
known. Zavalishin further noted that the security systems produced
at Avangard are comparable to US-made security systems. Avangard
plans to further develop these security systems and will also restructure
its neutron fuse production technology to produce radiochemicals for the
space industry. Eight years ago, Avangard began developing the technology
to manufacture kidney dialysis machines. According to Zavalishin,
Avangard's dialysis machine is very competitive with machines manufactured
by US, German and Swiss companies and costs much less. Recently, Avangard
received funding to develop the next generation of dialysis machines and
production levels will be increased.
12/2/99: STATE DUMA TO PRESERVE INVESTMENT ZONES
AROUND FEDERAL NUCLEAR CENTERS
On 16 December 1999, Sarov's Gorodskoy kurer
outlined federal legislation passed by the Duma on 2 December 1999 that
allows the closed city (ZATO) investment zone to remain in place at Sarov
(Arzamas-16).[1] Snezhinsk (Chelyabinsk-70) will
also keep its ZATO investment zone.[2] The federal taxes collected in Sarov
and Snezhinsk will remain in the two cities' municipal budgets and will
be used to support VNIIEF and VNIITF.[1,2] The Duma voted to rescind the
investment zone status at the remaining 40 ZATO investment zones.[1] The
Duma approved the FY 2000 budget that allocates 2 billion rubles (approximately
$75 million as of 16 December 1999) to Minatom conversion projects.[1]
In his testimony before the Russian State Duma, Sarov City Duma Deputy
Anatoliy Amelichev argued that proposed changes to the ZATO law would force
foreign firms with investments in ZATO enterprises to close these enterprises.[3]
Sarov and Snezhinsk delegates also successfully lobbied Duma deputies to
include language in the budget stating that the Federal Nuclear Centers
should receive regular funding and that federal funding should not be reduced.[1]
Amelichev's visit to Moscow coincided with a meeting of the Association
of Closed Cities (AZG), which developed a series of proposals to present
to the government on federal financing for the ZATOs. AZG proposals included
a ceiling on tax concessions for investors, giving up 4 billion rubles
in federal subsidies, and changing the closed city status of smaller towns
that are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defense.[3]
During negotiations with Sarov delegates, the Russian government promised
to pay VNIIEF and Avangard for debts that it had
accumulated during 1997-98, with payment to begin in December 1999.[1]
The government also pledged to sign two presidential decrees: one on development
and the creation of jobs at the Federal Nuclear Centers and a second promising
social support for personnel of the Russian nuclear weapons complex.[1]
11/24/99: VNIIEF CONFERENCE EXAMINES SAFETY ISSUES
Beginning on 24 November 1999, Sarov hosted a two-day
scientific conference on safety issues related to nuclear weapons work,
which coincided with the VNIIEF labor protection service's 50th anniversary.
Participants included specialists and directors from nuclear weapons production
enterprises and enterprises that produce nuclear weapons materials. Reports
showing the frequency of injuries over the past 50 years concluded that
"on the job" injuries declined by a factor of 20 during this period.
The conference passed a resolution commending the labor protection service
for the high level of operating safety that has been maintained, even during
crisis situations. In addition, the conference approved measures
to raise the prestige of the labor protection service, which included a
proposal to the Russian government to create an award to honor labor protection
service workers.
11/13/99: NUCLEAR CITIES INITIATIVE TO CONTINUE
IN THREE PILOT CITIES
On 13 November 1999, US Assistant Secretary of Energy
for Nuclear Nonproliferation and National Security Rose Gottemoeller announced
that sharp budget cuts will force the US Department of Energy to scale
back the Nuclear Cities Initiative
(NCI). In October 1999, the US Congress appropriated $7.5 million for
the program, essentially halving NCI funding for FY 2000. According
to Gottemoeller, NCI will continue its programs in the three pilot cities
of Sarov, Snezhinsk, and Zheleznogorsk
in spite of the budget reductions.[2] Congress's decision to cut
NCI funding resulted from a report by the General Accounting Office, which
stated that some NCI funds "appeared to be going to Russian scientists
who were still working on weapons."[1] Congress also included a provision
in FY 2000 NCI appropriations that requires Energy Secretary Bill Richardson
to certify that Russia will close some nuclear weapons facilities. (For
a copy of the GAO report, please see the Russia:
Full-Text
Documents: GAO Reports
section of the NIS Nuclear and Missile Database.)
11/9/99: PNL DELEGATION IN SAROV TO DISCUSS INTERNATIONAL
BUSINESS CENTER
On 9 November 1999, representatives from Pacific
Northwest National Laboratory (PNL) began a three-day visit to Sarov
under the auspices of the Nuclear
Cities Initiative (NCI) to discuss the proposed International Business
Center with city officials. In an interview with Sarov's Gorodskoy kurer,
Municipal Duma Chairman Anatoliy Amelichev reported that Sarov officials
had observed a lack of visible large-scale achievements in the development
of NCI, and he noted that the only NCI project to be financed and implemented
was the
open computing center. He noted that while
concrete projects had been approved for Sarov, there is no financing for
these projects yet. He stated that the city needs to be more actively involved
in NCI activities, but it lacks the translators and other resources necessary
to develop international contacts, and as a result VNIIEF's Center for
International Cooperation and VNIIEF-Konversiya, which had been established
to promote commercial contacts, had been leading the NCI program. Amelichev
suppports the idea of moving VNIITF-Konversiya out of the institute's restricted
area and charging it with functions similar to the proposed international
development center. The municipal government has already designated
a building for this purpose in downtown Sarov.
11/4/99: RYABEV: MINATOM RECEIVED FUNDING FOR
CONVERSION PROJECTS
On 4 November 1999, First Deputy Minister of Atomic
Energy Lev Ryabev stated that Minatom had received funding from the federal
budget for conversion projects. Minatom has approved an internal
restructuring program that is to be implemented over the next four or five
years and will include VNIIEF. The restructuring
would also affect VNIIEF conversion work, which is subdivided into serial
production and research and development work. VNIIEF representatives
traveled to Minatom to defend the institute's conversion programs. According
to VNIIEF's chief production engineer, who also took part in the delegation,
VNIIEF programs are insufficiently funded, and the cash money promised
to VNIIEF will be the first cash money it has received in the last decade.
The money will be used to replace worn equipment and weapons designers
will receive less than ten percent of the funds.
11/4/99: VNIIEF-KONVERSIYA OFFICIAL DISCUSSES
NCI PROJECTS
On 4 November 1999, Sarov's Gorodskoy kurer
published an interview with VNIIEF-Konversiya's Economics Department Director
Yelena Dyakova, who discussed the implementation of the Nuclear
Cities Initiative (NCI). Dyakova divided NCI's activities into two
spheres: projects designed to create new jobs and projects related to training
and business consulting. During October and December 1998, VNIIEF and Avangard
scientists submitted 50 proposals to visiting US delegations. Six proposals
were selected, and in April 1999, the US officials agreed to allocate funds
for three of them, including the creation of an open computing center (see
development
from 10/1/99 below), a laparotomy project, and a telemedicine project.
Although NCI will supply Sarov with medical equipment for the laparotomy
and telemedicine projects, Dyakova noted that NCI funds will not be used
to pay salaries and other expenses or to rent office space. She added that
Sarov and Russia will be responsible for these expenses, and she estimated
that NCI financial contributions make up one to ten percent of the total
amount of money Russia needs to fund the restructuring of its nuclear weapons
complex. Other potential NCI projects include the establishment of an international
business development center, development of titanium production, recycling
of mercury lamps, and the creation of a "quick response" design bureau.
10/1/99: OPEN COMPUTING
CENTER IN SAROV TO USE IBM SUPERCOMPUTERS
On 1 October 1999, US officials announced that a
two-year old dispute concerning the sale of IBM supercomputers to VNIIEF
had been resolved, and the computers will be used in an open computing
center at Sarov. The United States wanted the computers, which IBM sold
to VNIIEF without getting the proper export licenses, to be returned or
"openly dedicated to nonweapons work." The open computing center is a joint
project between the Russia's Ministry of Atomic Energy and the US Department
of Energy, which contributed $2.3 million to the project under the Nuclear
Cities Initiative. DOE Secretary Bill Richardson was present at the
official opening of the center, which is expected to employ 80 persons
within its first year and could create as many as 650 new jobs over the
next five years. According to VNIIEF's Director Dr. Radiy Ilkayev,
the institute's staff has shrunk from 30,000 to 18,000 employees and 15
percent of the lab's workforce is employed in the civilian sector.
Ilkayev estimated that VNIIEF receives $8 million in foreign assistance
each year, with the United States contributing 86 percent of these funds.
According to Ilkayev, VNIIEF needs roughly $40 million over the next three
years to continue restructuring and increase the number of employees engaged
in the civilian sector to 29 percent by 2002.
10/99: SAROV RELEASES TAX DATA FROM JANUARY THROUGH
OCTOBER 1999
As of October 1999, Sarov's State Tax Inspection
Service (STIS) registered 1606 enterprises, including 144 firms registered
in the Sarov investment zone. In comparison with January 1999, 26
fewer firms are operating in the investment zone (see development
from
1/99 below). The total number of tax receipts collected from January
through October 1999 was 513.5 million rubles ($20.3 million as of 1 October
1999), including 192.7 million rubles ($7.6 million as of 1 October 1999)
collected in the investment zone. On average, each enterprise registered
in Sarov paid 320,000 rubles ($12,600 as of 1 October 1999) in taxes.
9/2/99: RYABEV: VNIIEF WILL NOT CUT JOBS
In an interview with Sarov's Gorodskoy kurer
on 2 September 1999, First Deputy Minister of Atomic Energy Lev Ryabev
said that there would be no job reductions at VNIIEF. Ryabev was
in Sarov for the opening session of the Scientific Technical Council (NTS)
at VNIIEF. According to Ryabev, approximately 12,000 personnel work on
military projects, although Minatom is working to redirect some of VNIIEF's
work force towards civilian projects. The budget proposal for the year
2000 maintains the current level of funding for VNIIEF, and Ryabev added
that 1.7 billion rubles ($66 million as of 2 September 1999) had been allocated
for conversion work (presumably for all of Minatom), although he conceded
that conversion efforts are becoming more dependent on US assistance.
Ryabev reported that the Nuclear
Cities Initiative (NCI) appropriates approximately $20 to $30 million
yearly, and an Open Computing Center, which was funded under NCI, will
provide approximately 100 jobs for VNIIEF specialists (see
10/1/99 development above). Sergey Krysov, who is on the Council of
Directors for VNIIEF-Konversiya, was also present for the NTS opening session.
According to Krysov, Konversiya projects created approximately 1000 jobs,
but he added that at least 5000 positions must be created to ensure that
the city of Sarov has a future.
8/26/99: MODERNIZATION OF RUSSIAN
NUCLEAR WEAPONS CONTINUES
On 26 August 1999 at a meeting with journalists at VNIIEF in connection
with the 50th anniversary of the first Soviet nuclear test, Deputy Minister
for Atomic Energy Lev Ryabev said that Russia's weapons are currently undergoing
modernization in four different areas. The first area is safety,
specifically the prevention of accidental detonations or launches.
He noted that nuclear weapons have safety features that prevent their use
if stolen by terrorists. The second area is extending the service
life of Russia's current nuclear arsenal. The third is continuing
research and development to maintain the nuclear arsenal in the event of
a test ban (through laboratory modeling.) The fourth is improvement
of nuclear weapons in view of the development of anti-missile defense systems.
Ryabev also called for the formation of a smaller nuclear weapons complex,
noting that Russia has already reduced its production of nuclear weapons
more than ten-fold. Weapons assembly facilities will be cut from
four to two, and industry staff from 75,000 to 35,000 by the year 2005.
Ryabev commented that Russia has received $215 million from the United
States, Japan, and the European Union to assist in conversion efforts.
The cities of Sarov, Snezhinsk, and Zheleznogorsk are scheduled to receive
an additional $20 million in 2000 from the United States for defense conversion.
With regard to nuclear waste, Ryabev said "no nuclear wastes will be brought
to Russia from abroad--only spent fuel from nuclear power stations, specifically
uranium 235 and plutonium. Plutonium will be extracted from the spent
nuclear fuel for energy purposes. The wastes will then be vitrified
and returned to the sender country."
8/9/99: VNIIEF CONTRACTED TO EVALUATE CONVERSION
PROGRAMS
On 9 August 1999, the US Department of Energy's Office
of Arms Control and Nonproliferation announced that it intends to issue
two Nuclear Cities Initiative (NCI) contracts to VNIIEF. Under one eight-month
contract, VNIIEF will assess past conversion projects and current capabilities
at the Avangard Electromechanical Plant in Sarov
to improve future conversion activities. The study will examine the principles
and restrictions governing the conversion process, the types of alternative
technologies that will be pursued after conversion, and the types of planning
required. The contract also includes publication of quarterly information
bulletins on the investment climate and business development in Sarov.
Under the second, which runs for 12 months, VNIIEF will analyze acting
and pending Russian federal legislation concerning nuclear weapons, the
closed cities, and dual-use technology exports, and will assess their impact
on nonproliferation. The assessment will include current laws governing
investment, technology exports and taxation in Russia, as well as an examination
on the socio-economic conditions within the closed cities to help potential
investors assess the current business climate within the closed cities.
7/5/99: SAROV CONDUCTS COUNTERTERRORIST EXERCISES
From 5 to 10 July 1999, Sarov's Federal Security
Service (FSB) conducted counter-terrorist exercises to simulate attempts
to illegally enter the city. The exercises sought to check and strengthen
counter-intelligence activities designed to protect nuclear installations
and weapons facilities, to perfect the practical skills of special anti-terrorist
subunits, and to improve the coordination between antiterrorist subunits
and local lawenforcement bodies. On 13 July the head of Sarov's FSB, Aleksandr
Borodin, held a press conference for journalists and representatives of
local law enforcement bodies. FSB officials called the exercises a success
and reported that the current security system had performed efficiently
during the simulation. Five thousand law enforcement officials from Sarov,
neighboring districts of Nizhniy Novgorod Oblast, and the Republic of Mordovia
participated in the exercise. According to the RFNC-VNIIEF Quarterly
Information Bulletin, Sarov's police uncovered several actual attempts
to illegally enter the closed city during the exercises. FSB appeals for
information about suspicious activities met with 200 responses from Sarov
residents.
7/99: RETRAINING PROGRAMS AND INVESTMENT
PROJECTS ADDRESS UNEMPLOYMENT IN SAROV
In July 1999, Atompressa reported that the
official unemployment rate in Sarov (Arzamas-16) was 1.95 percent.[1] According
to RFNC-VNIIEF Quarterly Information Bulletin, the unemployment
rate in the first half of 1999 was 2.3 percent.[2] The Bulletin
also reported that the number of Sarov residents who held jobs in the first
half of 1999 had increased by 2.2 percent as compared to the first half
of 1998.[2] In Sarov, a department of the Federal Employment Service and
the municipal Duma's Coordinating Committee for Employment Assistance
for the Populace have worked with private groups to lower unemployment
levels in the city. Strategies to combat unemployment include retraining,
the creation of civilian jobs at VNIIEF and Avangard, and the creation
of new jobs and businesses in Sarov. According to
Atompressa,
roughly 250 residents undergo training at the municipal center for professional
training, and the average course lasts two and a half months. Sarov spends
roughly 3,000 rubles ($123 as of 7/1/99) per month for each person participating
in the training program. From 1997 to the beginning of 1999, 84 specialists
who had been employed at VNIIEF and Avangard underwent training to produce
synthetic diamonds at VNIIEF. Other VNIIEF job creation programs focus
on investment projects related to safety at nuclear power plants,
equipment for the oil and gas complex, and isotope production. At Avangard,
investment projects include manufacturing of medical equipment, radio communication
components, radiation monitors, and equipment for nuclear power plants.
Investment projects to create jobs in the city of Sarov include a thermal
metal processing center, a "rehabilitation center," and cellular telephone
communications. Between 1998 and 1999, Sarov officials predicted that investment
projects would create 1,200 new jobs at VNIIEF, 150 new jobs at Avangard,
and 40 jobs at the joint stock company VNIIEF-Konversiya. By 2000, these
projects could create a total of 2,500 new jobs in Sarov. Continued funding
for the production of medical equipment and other conversion projects could
create approximately 500 new jobs at Avangard by 2005.[1] According
to Sarov officials, lack of funding had forced the cancellation of some
conversion projects at Avangard and VNIIEF.[2] Conversion work is carried
out under the "Reconstruction and Development Program of Conversion of
the State Enterprise EMZ Avangard from 1998-2005" and the nuclear industry's
"Programs to Assist Employment for ZATO Residents." Funding sources include
allocations from the federal budget, Minatom, taxes collected within the
investment zone, and VNIIEF's own coffers.[1]
7/99: VNIIEF DEVELOPS SYSTEMS AND AMMUNITION FOR
AIR FORCE
In an article published in Voyennyy parad,
VNIIEF Director Radiy Ilkayev and VNIIEF Development Head Stanislav
Klimov reported that VNIIEF scientists are working with other Russian defense
industry enterprises to develop ammunition and systems for the Air Force.
Under the cooperation arrangement, VNIIEF scientists have designed warheads
for the Khrizantema, Ataka, and Malyutka-2 anti-tank guided missile systems.
VNIIEF also developed a warhead modernization program, which reportedly
doubled the armor-penetrating ability of the Malyutka-2. VNIIEF also
applied mathematical modelling to study jet formation processes and the
performance of an explosive-formed penetrator against complex barriers.
According to Voyennyy parad, VNIIEF is positioned to implement the
entire development process from initial calculation to series production,
which would decrease the expense and time associated with new conventional
weapons development.
6/18/99: VNIIEF PROPOSES USING NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
FOR RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
In an effort to address the problem of radioactive
waste disposal, the All-Russian Scientific Research
Institute of Experimental Physics, the Russian Federation Ministry
of Defense Central Physical Technical Institute, and several other
organizations have for the past three decades engaged in the development
of nuclear explosion technology to dispose of highly radioactive wastes.
The method, which entirely eliminates the waste, involves the use of underground
nuclear explosions. It requires the excavation of an underground chamber
approximately 600m below the ground in an aluminosilicate rock mass with
a low volatile content. Next, containers with highly radioactive waste
are isolated with special stabilizing filters. Two to three nuclear explosive
devices, with a cumulative yield of 60 to 100 kilotons (kT) of TNT, would
then be detonated, and the resulting explosion and shock wave would result
in the mixing and vitrification of the radioactive waste in the chamber.
According to an 18 July 1999 article in Nezavisimoye voyennoye obozreniye,
the explosion method is better than the traditional waste burial method
in that it does not cost as much and does not require continuous monitoring,
control, and security. The Novaya Zemlya
nuclear test site has been identified as a possible location for such explosions.
Since the detonation of nuclear devices, even for peaceful purposes, is
not allowed under the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), the authors
of the proposal call for the amendment of the treaty. If implemented, the
method could address the problem of naval
radioactive waste disposal, as well as the mass removal of radioactive
waste associated with the planned shutdown of nuclear power plants built
in the 1970s and 1980s.(For an earlier item on this topic, please see the
5/6/97
item in this file. For more information on naval reactor waste, please
see the Naval Nuclear
Reactor Radioactive Waste section of the NIS Nuclear and Missile Database.)
5/28/99: GENERAL ATOMICS
CONCLUDES AGREEMENT WITH VNIIEF
On 28 May 1999, General Atomics announced that it
concluded an agreement with VNIIEF for exclusive rights to promote a high-temperature
fluoride battery invented by VNIIEF on the Russian and world markets. The
battery, which was first developed in 1995 under the auspices of the Moscow-based
International
Science
and Technology Center (ISTC), increases the efficiency of prospecting
and drilling oil deposits. According to Krasnaya zvezda, General
Atomics has over twenty years' experience working with Russia in scientific
and technical fields.
5/18/99: VNIIEF HOLDS COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT
CONFERENCE
On 18 May 1999 VNIIEF held a "collective agreement"
conference, which was closed to the press. During the conference,
administration and employee deputies discussed the institute's internal
issues. Prior to the conference, VNIIEF had fully paid out wages
for the year of 1998, more than 9,000 employees had received all of their
salaries up to date, and the wage arrears constituted no more than 0.7
months. The question of salary distribution, however, was not addressed:
at VNIIEF the top 10 percent of the salaries constitute a sum that exceeds
by 11 times the bottom 10 percent. The average salary in 1998 was
1,430 rubles ($96), by May 1999 it reached 2,000 rubles ($80), and by the
autumn of 1999, the average salary was projected to go up to 2,500
rubles. All contract work accepted by the institute employees must
contribute 30 percent of the compensation to VNIIEF management as "overhead."
Many VNIIEF workers no longer have specific tasks to perform at work, which
creates a situation of "hidden unemployment." Thus, the salaries
paid out to many VNIIEF employees are de facto unemployment compensation
payments.
3/13/99: ADAMOV WANTS TO KEEP NUCLEAR CENTERS
AT BOTH SAROV AND SNEZHINSK
Russian Minister of Atomic Energy Yevgeniy Adamov
stated that he would prefer that Russia keep both federal nuclear centers
at Sarov and at Snezhinsk open. In response to criticism that only one
center should stay open, Adamov maintains that mutual control and competition
between both centers is beneficial to the industry.
3/10/99: VNIIEF AND ROSVOORUZHENIYE
TO PRODUCE NON-NUCLEAR WEAPONS
The general director of the Russian state company
Rosvooruzheniye, Grigoriy Rapota, and the administration of VNIIEF met
on 10 March 1999 to evaluate the first year of mutual cooperation on the
production and export of non-nuclear high-precision weapons.[1,2] The meeting
took place at Sarov, where Rapota also visited the production site and
discussed additional cooperation with US firms and the Ukrainian arms manufacturer
Tasko. Rosvooruzheniye will act as a mediator between the parties.[2] VNIIEF
and Rosvooruzheniye aim to develop a base of international customers. VNIIEF
has been cooperating with various enterprises to produce non-nuclear weapons
since the early 1990s. The center has a closed cycle for manufacturing
weapons, from research to production.[1]
2/24/99: VNIIEF SCIENTISTS
TO DEVELOP 3D GRAPHICS FOR INTEL
According to a 24 February 1999 report from Reuters,
the California-based microchip manufacturer Intel plans to expand current
operations in Sarov, where some 65 VNIIEF scientists are developing computer
software for three-dimensional graphics. Intel first began the program
under the US Department of Energy sponsored program Initiatives
for Proliferation Prevention (IPP), and according to DOE Assistant
Secretary Rose Gottemoeller, the chip maker is hoping to increase the number
of programmers to 200.
2/24/99: US TO APPROPRIATE $60 MILLION FOR CONVERSION
AT RUSSIAN NUCLEAR CITIES
Speaking at a press conference in Moscow on 24 February
1999, Rose Gottemoeller, US Assistant Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Nonproliferation
and National Security, stated that the US government plans to appropriate
$60 million for nonproliferation and conversion programs at 10 of Russia's
closed nuclear cities over the next two years.[1,2] According to Gottemoeller,
$30 million dollars will be appropriated in 1999, with roughly $15 million
reserved for conversion projects at the closed cities and $15 million used
to resolve problems related to nonproliferation of nuclear materials.[1,2]
Gottemoeller added that the US DOE would appeal to Congress to renew funding
for these programs in the FY 2000 Budget.[2] Initially, the US funding
will focus on conversion work at the three largest nuclear cities, Sarov
(Arzamas-16 ), Snezhinsk (Chelyabinsk-70), and
Zheleznogorsk (Krasnoyarsk-26).[2]
According to Interfax, funds will be used to establisha high-speed
computing center at Sarov and a pharmaceutical center at Snezhinsk.[1]
A telecommunications center will also be established.[2]
2/19/99: SAROV'S NUCLEAR WEAPONS ASSEMBLY WILL STOP BY 2000
As part of the conversion and restructuring of the Russian nuclear industry,
assembly of nuclear weapons at the Avangard plant in Sarov will cease by
the year 2000.
1/99: SAROV RELEASES DATA
ON TAXES COLLECTED IN 1998
According to the RFNC-VNIIEF Quarterly Information
Bulletin, Sarov's State Tax Inspection Service (STIS) registered 1,588
enterprises as of 1 January 1999, including 170 firms in Sarov's investment
zone. Approximately 80 percent of the registered enterprises work in the
private sector. In 1998, 1,006 firms conducted business and the remaining
firms "performed no economic activities." The Sarov budget received
510.8 million rubles ($24.4 million as of 31 December 1998) in taxes during
1998, including 158.8 million rubles ($7.6 million as of 31 December 1998)
collected in the Sarov investment zone. In the wake of the August 1998
collapse of the ruble, many enterprises were unable to pay taxes and 103.7
million rubles ($5 million) in taxes went uncollected. As of 1 January
1999, VNIIEF and Avangard owed 38.6 million rubles ($1.8 million) in taxes.
During 1998, STIS audited 318 enterprises and found 151 enterprises to
be in violation of tax legislation.
12/24/98: AVANGARD DIRECTOR SPEAKS AT PARLIAMENTARY
HEARING
Sarov's Gorodskoy kurer reported on 24 December
1998 that Avangard director Yuriy Kuzmich Zavalishin attended a parliamentary
hearing devoted to Russia's nuclear weapons complex, during which the Duma
asked Zavalishin about investment zones operating in 10 of the closed nuclear
cities. According to the deputies, investment activities generated 1.66
billion rubles ($82 million as of 24 December 1998) last year, with 32
percent of the funds supporting the so-called "city forming" industrial
enterprises and 10 percent going towards the creation of new jobs. First
Deputy Minister of Atomic Energy Lev Ryabev recommended placing the investment
zones under Minatom's jurisdiction. The Duma approved several recommendations,
including the confirmation of a development program for the Russian nuclear
weapons complex from 1998-2005. Avangard also submitted requests
for an exemption from property and profit taxes as well as a delay in military
service obligations for its employees. Zavalishin also suggested
that if the state budget will not fund production of weapons, then Avangard
should be exempted from fees for late payment into the social insurance,
pension, and mandatory federal medical insurance funds.
12/3/98: VNIIEF CONVERSION PROGRAMS INCLUDE AIRPLANES
AND LIGHT AIRCRAFT
On 3 December 1998, Sarov's Gorodskoy kurer
reported that VNIIEF has started to design and assemble light aircraft,
which are cheaper to manufacture than airplanes but share similar control
systems, two- and four-passenger airplanes, and helicopters with
financial assistance from Sarov's Development Fund for Conversion Industries.
According to Gorodskoy kurer, VNIIEF will test the first aircraft
in May 1999 and if successful, it will accelerate development and production
of the airplanes. In the initial production phase, VNIIEF plans to build
fuselages for the light aircraft, ordering motors and wings from factories
in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. Light aircraft of this class are currently not
produced in Russia. Similarly, in its airplane manufacturing process, VNIIEF
will buy the motor and avionics from local enterprises, leaving room for
potential cooperation with other enterprises. VNIIEF plans to manufacture
the fuselage, wings, and parts of the shock absorbers for the planes. Helicopters
built by VNIIEF will be based entirely on screw assembly, and each helicopter
will be flight tested and certified.
12/98: ESPIONAGE AT THE FEDERAL NUCLEAR CENTER
The Federal Security Service (FSB) arrested an employee of the Federal
Nuclear Center (VNIIEF) in Sarov (formerly Arzamas-16) who tried to sell
technical documents on a non-nuclear weapon to Iraq and Afghanistan. According
to reports, the Sarov employee initiated the espionage himself, and hoped
to sell the technical secrets with the aid of a Moscow intermediary. The Sarov employee was arrested as he was preparing to approach a foreign agent,
presumably either an Iraqi or Afghanistani. The Federal Security Service
said that this was not the first such case at the nuclear center, and noted
that the economic crisis in Russia may motivate some employees to
improve their situation by selling secret information to certain members
of foreign delegations visiting the center.
11/98: SAROV HAS LOWEST UNEMPLOYMENT
RATE OF TEN NUCLEAR CITIES
In November 1998, the unemployment level in Sarov
constituted only 1.6 percent (849 people, of whom 56 are former VNIIEF
employees and 40 are former Avangard employees), which was the lowest level
registered in the ten "nuclear cities;" the critical level of unemployment
is considered to be 5 percent. The low rate was due to the existence
of the tax-free investment zone in Sarov, according to Igor Zakharov,
the department chief of the Federal State Employment Service. The
unemployment rate in Sarov dropped from its peak of 1,303 unemployed individuals
in March 1998, and the November 1998 statistics were comparable to the
level observed in January 1998 when 857 people were registered as unemployed.
Among the unemployed were many young people (390) and recent graduates
from institutions of higher learning (over 100). The November unemployment
rate reflected the aftermath of the August financial crisis as well as
the end of seasonal jobs. The number of job openings has decreased
and the nature of the available jobs is overwhelmingly "blue-collar."
The situation, however, may change in the future: at the end of 1998 or
in January 1999 Avangard EMZ plans to reduce its
staff by 16 employees of "able-bodied age" and 50 to 60 persons of retirement
age. The authorities at Avangard have also warned that staff may be reduced
by another 130 employees in the first quarter of 1999. The city government
has discussed creating a committee that would work on preventing possible
critical situations that might result from fluctuations on the job market.
However, the city still has enough funds to implement an employment policy:
subsidizing job creation, advanced training, and providing financial assistance
to the unemployed who initiate independent business ventures. An average
of 250 people receive training in various specialties at the Vocational
Training Center, which is financed by the money from the Employment Fund.
The conversion support fund is used to create new jobs in the emerging
commercial structures in the city, including 20 work places at Sarov Cellular
Communications, 15 at International Shipments, 10 at EleGaz, 60 at the
Metal Heat Treatment Center, 30 at VNIIEF-Konversiya, 10 at the Raduga
Center for Production of Special Computer Equipment for VNIIEF, and 25
at the Bioprodukt Enterprise. In total, the existence of the investment
zone has created about 200 new jobs in 1998.
11/98: RESEARCHER CRITICIZES LAX MPC&A PRACTICES
AT VNIIEF
In a letter to the editor of Yadernyy Kontrol,
Aleksandr Bolsunovskiy, a senior researcher at the Insitute of Biophysics,
expressed concern about MPC&A at Russian nuclear facilities.
Bolsunovskiy referred to two accidents, one at VNIIEF
and one at NZKhK,
as evidence of lax MPC&A practices. In the VNIIEF accident, a scientist
was working with 90 percent HEU alone, in direct contradiction to MPC&A
guidelines. Bolsunovskiy argues that the proper procedures were disregarded
because of the scientist's status. At NZKhK, a spontaneous chain
reaction occurred in a tank containing dozens of kilograms of 90 percent
HEU, though it was designed for uranium sludges containing no more than
36 percent U-235. Bolsunovskiy stated that this demonstrates a lack
of safety culture and poor control and accounting procedures. He
warned that institutes may be lulled into a false sense of security by
Minatom's extensive efforts in this area, forgetting that more work needs
to be done.
10/7/98: SAROV WEAPONS FACILITIES WORKERS
JOIN PROTEST RALLY
On 7 October 1998, a large number of Sarov weapons
complex workers joined a nation-wide protest rally, organized by the Russian
Communist Party and independent trade unions. The marchers, inspired
predominantly by Communist sentiments, demonstrated against the policies
of the Yeltsin administration, and condemned the wage arrears. Some
speakers criticized the existence of the investment zone in Sarov.
They blamed the tax breaks for Minatom's and the government's reluctance
to pay city organizations. Others raised the issue of rapidly increasing
financial inequalities among VNIIEF employees: a few have the income to
buy foreign cars while others do not earn earn enough to pay for basic
food. Sarov's representative in the State Duma, Communist Party member
Ivan Nikitchuk, joined the speakers in criticizing the government for endangering
Russia's nuclear potential.
10/98: VNIIEF EMPLOYEES PARTICIPATE IN RUSSIAN
ACADEMY OF MISSILE AND ARTILLERY SCIENCES REGIONAL CONFERENCE
VNIIEF scientists presented 58 of the 110 reports
at a regional conference of the Russian Academy of Missile and Artillery
Sciences (RARAN) held in Sarov in October 1998. The reports dealt with
a wide range of topics related to advanced conventional weapons. The Academy
was founded in the mid-1990s to provide an association for both conventional
and nuclear weapons scientists and a venue for the exchange of ideas between
defense research institutes and enterprises. There are one hundred full
members of the academy and two hundred corresponding members, with the
number of members limited by government decree. The Academy consists of
seventeen departments, including ballistics, precision guided munitions,
and explosive devices and compounds. Four centers have been established
by the academy; Volga Region (in Sarov), North-West Region (St. Petersburg),
Siberian Region (Tomsk) and Urals Region (Izhevsk). Attending the conference
from VNIIEF were Radiy Ilkayev, Director of VNIIEF, and Yuriy Faykov,
First Deputy Chief Designer VNIIEF, among others.
9/22/98: MINATOM AND DOE SIGN AGREEMENT ON CONVERSION AT RUSSIAN NUCLEAR
WEAPONS FACILITIES
On 22 September 1998, Russian Minister of Atomic Energy Evgeniy Adamov
and US Secreatary of Energy Bill Richardson signed a five year agreement
according to which the United States will allocate $30 million for the
conversion of Russia's closed nuclear cities. The agreement affects ten
of Russia's closed nuclear cities, including Krasnoyarsk-26
(Zheleznogorsk) and the Federal Nuclear Centers at Arzamas-16 (Sarov)
and Chelyabinsk-70 (Snezhinsk). According to Minatom,
the US-Russian agreement would facilitate the creation of 15,000 jobs in
coordination with the Russian program "Reconstruction and Conversion of
Enterprises of the Atomic Industry (the Nuclear Weapons Complex) in 1998-2000,"
which the Russian Government approved on 24 June 1998. Izvestiya
reported that some of the US financial assistance will be used to stop
the emigration of nuclear specialists to other countries. (For the complete
text of this document please see the NCI
Agreement file. For more information please see the NCI
Overview.)
9/7-10/98: VNIIEF EMPLOYEES JOIN NUCLEAR INDUSTRY PROTEST
On 7 September 1998 4,700 VNIIEF employees waged a one-hour strike to protest
payment arrears. The protesters expressed their rising despair at
the current situation: wages for 1997 have not been paid, wages for 1998
have not been paid for five months, and wages and salaries have not been
raised since 1996, despite rapid inflation.[1] Similar actions were
initiated at 60 facilities across the industry, to be followed by the picketing
of Minatom, Ministry of Finance, and the parliament in Moscow on 8-10 September.
Nine Sarov citizens joined the picketers and represented the city in Moscow.
As a result of the picketing, the protesters obtained a guaranteed promise
of 317 million rubles (about $22 million) from Minister of Finance Mikhail
Zadornov to cover September military spending obligations. The picketers
and Zadornov signed a protocol
of the meeting. Zadornov claimed that the revenues Sarov received
from the tax breaks on the investment zone were equal to the government's
debt to the city. Zadornov demanded that the protesters include a
provision in the protocol stating that the trade unions supported the government's
decision to cease the registration of new businesses in the investment
zone. The protesters, however, refused to include that provision
in the protocol. Communist Party leader Gennadiy Zuganov and Duma Chairman
Gennadiy Seleznev also met with the protesters and discussed their demands
that a law be passed that would guarantee a budget share for the military
expenditures of Minatom.[2]
8/8/98: ADAMOV VISITS SAROV
On 8 August 1998 Minister of Atomic Energy Yevgeniy Adamov visited the
Federal Nuclear Center at Sarov to look at prospects for developing and
restructuring VNIIEF, with particular emphasis on conversion activities.
During a press conference, Adamov discussed issues such as personnel at
VNIIEF, back wages, restructuring at Novaya Zemlya, and conversion of the
Avangard Electro-Mechanical Plant. Adamov forecasted that by the end of
1999, 2,000-3,000 workers would be let go and 6,000 workers would be placed
in other jobs or encouraged to take early retirement. The number of remaining
employees would total 10,000 - 12,000. Adamov noted that 100 million rubles
($15.76 million at the 13 August 1998 exchange rate) in wage arrears had
accumulated during a four-month period, although it was unclear which four
months he was referring to. Adamov also mentioned a "triad" of conversion
projects: conducting gas dynamic experiments at Novaya Zemlya, developing
computer technology, and developing experimental modelling facilities at
VNIIEF.
8/6/98: LEADERS OF VNIIEF AND VNIITF WORKERS'
UNIONS VISIT MINISTER ADAMOV
Leaders of workers' unions for VNIIEF and VNIITF
had a 1.5 hour meeting with Minister of Atomic Energy Adamov during the
week of July 26. Adamov said that no money would be available to pay for
military contracts until 10 October 1998 and that the Ministry of Finance
had almost stopped payments to federal nuclear centers. According to Adamov,
40-45 percent of VNIIEF staff is sufficient for military programs. However,
according to VNIIEF's union leaders, 70 percent of the Arzamas-16 staff
is required for these programs.
8/3/98: VNIIEF DECLINES TO COMMENT ON US
COURT DECISION
As of 3 August 1998 the administration of VNIIEF
declined to comment on media reports concerning the US court decision to
fine IBM for the sale of supercomputers to a number of Russian laboratories,
including VNIIEF, because no legal action was taken against VNIIEF by the
US court.
7/9/98: VNIIEF WORKERS VOTE FOR OPEN-ENDED STRIKE
On 9 July 1998, VNIIEF workers approved plans to
stage an open-ended strike, which will begin on 23 July 1998, to demand
wage arrears and a pay raise. According to the worker organized strike
committee, 8 thousand employees representing roughly one-half of VNIIEF's
work force will take part in the protests. VNIIEF Director Radiy Ilkayev
reported, however, that an insignificant number of non-essential employees
have declared their intention to strike. According to Sarov's Gorodskoy kurer, workers voted to include calls for the resignation of the government
and the president among their demands.
7/23/98: WORKERS AT SAROV DEMAND WAGE ARREARS AND YELTSIN'S DISMISSAL
On 23 July 1998 3,700 nuclear physicists of the Federal Nuclear Center
at Sarov organized a rally to protest receiving only half of their monthly
salaries since the beginning of 1998.[1,2] The plan for the three-hour
warning strike included a meeting with VNIIEF Director Radiy Ilkayev and
was organized so as not to interfere with the facilities' safety requirements.[1]
During the protest action, the center's workers adopted a statement containing
economic and political demands and calling for the dismissal of President
Boris Yeltsin. In addition, the VNIIEF and VNIITF
trade union leaders addressed a letter to the Russian Minister of Energy
asking him to recognize the serious financial situation in the nuclear
energy sector.[2]
5/22-23/98: PRIME MINISTER KIRIYENKO VISITS
SAROV
On 22 May 1998, before a Security Council meeting
on the strategic nuclear forces, Prime Minister Sergey Kiriyenko visited
Sarov and VNIIEF to examine Russia's "nuclear shield" and familiarize himself
with the situation in the investment zone in Sarov. The nuclear center
experienced a serious financial crisis in 1997 when VNIIEF received only
30 percent of the defense spending allocated to the center by the defense
budget. In 1997 the government owed 200 million rubles ($33.3 mln)
to the nuclear complex of Arzamas-16 for defense orders.[1] To address
the serious situation, Kiriyenko guaranteed future federal defense orders
for the nuclear center as well as federal financing for the creation of
new workplaces.[3] He expressed concern about significant federal
budgetary losses that result from tax breaks given to the closed cities
for the purpose of forming investment zones and encouraging commercial
activity. Kiriyenko stated that in 1997 the federal budget lost 4-5
trillion rubles ($690-865 million) due to tax breaks given to the closed
cities. He underlined the importance of avoiding misuses of the special
tax status granted to the cities and stressed the need for a thorough economic
analysis of the measure.[2] The tax breaks will be given to businesses
that can demonstrate concrete results in creating new jobs in Sarov.
Organizations who nominally keep their offices in Sarov because of the
tax breaks but who do not invest in the city and do not create new jobs
will no longer be exempt from federal taxes. Moreover, Kiriyenko emphasized
the need for an overall efficient allocation of the scarce federal funds.
He gave an example of a summer house settlement being guarded by an internal
troops division as unacceptable waste and misuse of federal finances.[3]
4/21-5/19/98: VNIIEF SCIENTISTS AND ADMINISTRATION
DISCUSS WAGES
On 21 April 1998, VNIIEF employees voted to create
a workers' council and elected nine of their colleagues to represent their
their interests in collective bargaining with VNIIEF's administration.
Workers officially presented their demands, which included payment of 1997
and 1998 wage arrears, regular payment of wages, and a pay raise, to administrators
on 28 April 1998. In its response given on 6 May 1998, the administration
said that the demands could not be met, prompting employees to continue
their dispute with VNIIEF. The worker's council and the administration
have each appointed four persons to take part in a mediation commission
to discuss a possible work slow-down and the minimum work level necessary
to ensure the safety of Sarov and VNIIEF if workers strike. After meeting
on 19 May 1998, the mediation group announced that the two groups were
unable to reach an agreement. According to local press, the workers'
council conducted a poll among employees to find out how many would take
part in strikes, which could start in late May.
9/97: FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFERS MONEY TO VNIIEF AND VNIITF
At the end of September 1997 the federal government transferred 150 billion
rubles ($25,635,000 as of 16 September 1997) to VNIIEF and VNIITF. The
two facilities received, respectively, 78 percent and 85 percent of the
money they were owed for the first nine months of the year.
9/16/97: VNIIEF WORKERS PROTEST BUDGET PROBLEMS
Seven thousand VNIIEF employees protested wage arrears on a central square
of Sarov on 16 September 1997.[1] Despite the fact that Prime Minister
Chernomyrdin had adopted a debt repayment plan in June, which took care
of some debts, wage arrears have once again accumulated.[2]
7/1/97: FATAL ACCIDENT AT VNIIEF PROMPTS COMPREHENSIVE
SAFETY CHECKS
On 17 June 1997, VNIIEF senior staff member Aleksandr Zakharov was exposed
to radiation while conducting a weapons-related experiment.[1] No radioactive
aerosols were released from the facility at which the experiment was conducted.[2]
Hospitalized at first in Sarov,[2] Zakharov was subsequently moved to Moscow's
Clinic No. 6, which also treated Chornobyl clean-up crews.[3] The Segodnya
newscast reported on 18 June 1997 that all experiments at the installation
in question are done manually, usually by two individuals, but that Zakharov
was one of five scientists permitted to conduct work alone. Scientists
stated that Zakharov was exposed to levels of radiation higher than 1000
rem, twice the "critical" dose.[4] On 18 June 1997, a Minatom commission
lead by Department of Emergency Situations Deputy Director Gennadiy Novikov
began investigating the accident as well as ways gain access to and repair
the damaged critical assembly.[5] On 19 June 1997, Minister for Civil Defense
Affairs, Emergencies, and Liquidation of Consequences of Natural Disasters
Sergey Shoygu flew to Sarov, bringing three pieces of equipment necessary
to clean up the accident. Shoygu spent three hours at VNIIEF, and left
after approving the clean-up plan.[6] Zakharov died on 20 June 1997. Doctors
did not specify how high of a dose he received, citing ethical reasons.[7]
At VNIIEF on 20 June 1997, the clean-up crew spent the day rehearsing clean-up
operations using a remote controlled robot and a model of the damaged critical
assembly.[8] The robot entered the irradiated chamber on 21 June 1997 and
brought out two containers of radioactive materials.[9] On 24 June 1997,
the robot dismantled the critical assembly using a remote-controlled suction
device, thereby halting the chain reaction that began seven days earlier.
Neutron flux levels fell by a factor of 10 million, reaching levels considered
normal for this type of facility.[10] The investigative commission released
its conclusions on 27 June 1997, stating that "human error and poor research
procedures" were the cause of the accident. Earlier, an unidentified member
of the commission had said that before his death, Zakharov had blamed "slippery
gloves" for the accident,[11] but Minister of Atomic Energy Viktor Mikhailov
stated Zakharov had admitted he had miscalculated.[12] According to Mikhailov,
Zakharov did not have permission to conduct the experiment.[12] On 1 July
1997, RIA Novosti reported that VNIIEF suspended all activities at its
research reactors and critical assemblies. RIA Novosti cited investigators
as stating that the critical assembly involved in the accident had structural
flaws, and the facility's safety procedures are not effective.[13] All
division heads at VNIIEF have been ordered to submit new safety proposals
by September.[11] Mikhailov ordered a safety check for all projects carried
out at all Russian nuclear facilities.[13,14] Minatom spokesman Georgiy
Kaurov stated that the safety check will take several months.[14]
4/13/97: CADMIUM LEAK AT SAROV INJURES 43
A cadmium leak occurred at VNIIEF on 13 April 1997.
The accident occurred when a vacuum line became unsealed. As a result,
43 persons were hospitalized, 15 of whom suffered serious respiratory problems.
12/14/95: NEW MPC&A SYSTEM ESTABLISHED AT ARZAMAS-16
As part of the lab-to-lab MPC&A program established by the US Department
of Energy between its laboratories and Russian nuclear institutes, three
pilot projects were begun at the VNIIEF in Arzamas-16, the Kurchatov Institute
in Moscow and the Institute of Physics and Power Engineering in Obninsk.
The three projects were completed in December 1995. The program at Arzamas-16
included five main areas: computerization of accounting and tracking of
materials, methods of measurement of fissile material radioactivity, automation,
interlinking information subsystems, and exchange of data.
11/22/95: REPORT CLAIMS THAT ARZAMAS-16 HAS BEEN LEFT UNPROTECTED
As a result of a debate over the legal basis for a Ministry of Atomic Energy
directive from 12/95, the city of Sarov (Arzamas-16), location of the All-Russian
Scientific Research Institute of Experimental Physics has been left unprotected.
Any criminal or terrorist whose relatives live in Sarov can freely enter
the city.
8/17/95:VNIIEF PHYSICISTS PAID BACK WAGES
It was reported that nuclear physicists employed by the Federal Nuclear
Center were finally paid their back salaries. The average salary at VNIIEF
was reported to be 400,000 rubles at the end of 1994. The scientists are
reported to be manufacturing various items as part of the conversion process,
including saucepans, dosimeters, tennis rackets, and fertilizer.
8/17/95: U-238 THEFT FROM ARZAMAS-16; CONFISCATION FROM BANKER
According to municipal Duma Deputy Ivan Nikitchuk, eight kg of uranium-238
was stolen from Plant 3 of Arzamas-16, through a hole in the fence. Deputy
Nikitchuk also stated that 10 kg of uranium-238 was taken from Sergey Demyanov,
an administrator with the Sarov Business Bank.
7/18/95: US AGENCY SIGNS AGREEMENT TO ASSIST CONVERSION
It was reported that the US Trade and Development Agency signed an agreement
with M-C Power, Inc. to examine the feasibility of conducting a joint conversion
project with VNIIEF to manufacture low-wattage molten carbonate fuel cells
for sale in Russia.
7/7/95: UNION MEETING HELD CONCERNING PAY AND SOCIAL TENSION
The employees of the Russian Federal Nuclear Center (FNC) in Arzamas-16
held an urgent union meeting indicative of strong social tension due to
chronic delays in salary payments. Spontaneous and unsanctioned meetings
and demonstrations are on the rise at the FNC.
6/17/95: "SUIK" SECURITY SYSTEM IS CREATED AT ARZAMAS-16
A new physical protection and control system called SUIK has been developed
in the Arzamas-16 nuclear center in collaboration with the US Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory on the basis of existing Russian and US technologies.
Georgiy Skripka, technical supervisor of the complex, attested to a complete
reliability of the new automated system which consists of 39 control procedures
covering the entire technological chain.
5/6/95: ARZAMAS-16 WILL INITIATE MODERN SECURITY MEASURES
By the end of 1995, Arzamas-16 will be the site of a new monitoring system
for nuclear materials that has been developed at the Kurchatov Institute
using Russian and American equipment. The software is Russian and the hardware
is American. The system constantly monitors and records the whereabouts
of fissile material. The system is designed to require palmprints of all
entering the facility, which would prevent outsiders from gaining access
to top secret areas.
2/1/95: SPECIAL FORCES UNIT CREATED TO PROTECT NUCLEAR FACILITIES
According to the 2/1/95 Edict by the Russian Commander of Internal Forces,
battalions of special forces have been created to "ensure physical protection
of nuclear facilities." The special forces will now service nuclear facilities
at Chelyabinsk-70 (Snezhinsk), Zlatoust-36 (Trekhgornyy) and Arzamas-16
(Sarov).
1/95: LOS ALAMOS SCIENTISTS TO INSTALL MC&A EQUIPMENT
Scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory will travel to Arzamas-16
to start installing equipment for a pilot program that will develop new
MC&A systems in Russia. Five other US laboratories will participate
in the program: Sandia, Lawrence Livermore, Oak Ridge, Brookhaven, and
Pacific Northwest.
9/94: NEWSPAPER REPORTS OF HEU THEFTS OCCURRING
According to the Italian La Reppublica, 9.5 kg of enriched uranium
was taken from Arzamas-16 to be sold for use in a nuclear bomb. The thieves
were arrested, however, and the uranium seized.
3/25/93: GOVERNMENT APPROVES DECREE TO CREATE NUCLEAR ACCIDENT RESPONSE
CENTERS
On 25 March 1993, the Russian Cabinet of Ministers approved a resolution
according to which the Ministry
of Atomic Energy and the State
Committee on Civil Defense Affairs, Emergencies, and Liquidation of Consequences
of Natural Disasters are to create five "accident-technical centers"
(ATCs) as part of an effort to improve Russia's emergency warning and response
system as it relates to nuclear facilities. An ATC is to be created at
each of the following locations: the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute
of Experimental Physics (VNIIEF), the All-Russian
Scientific Research Institute of Technical Physics (VNIITF), the Novovoronezh
nuclear power plant, the Siberian
Chemical Combine, and the V.G.
Khlopin Radium Institute. The work of the ATCs is to be supported
by the Ministries of Atomic Energy,
Defense,
the Economy, Transportation,
Communications, and Health.
1992: LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY ESTABLISHES
ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, STAFF AIDS WORKERS
Los Alamos National Laboratory established an assistance
program for Sarov (Arzamas-16) in 1992. In May 1992, the Sarov (Arzamas-16)
staff threatened to strike because of nonpayment of salaries. In response,
Los Alamos employees raised $500,000 for medical assistance to the Sarov
staff.
Last updated 20 August 2005
The development section in this file is no longer being updated. For major
recent developments, see the General
Nuclear Weapons Developments file.
Comments or questions? Contact Elena Sokova at MIIS
CNS: esokovaATmiis.edu
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, agents. Copyright © 2010 by MIIS.
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