Advanced Search

Abstract:

Valentin Ivanov, Russian Deputy Minister of Atomic Energy, stated at a Moscow press conference on 28 September that from 1991 to 1999, there had been 23 attempts to steal fissile nuclear materials from Russian facilities, Interfax reported. Ivanov said that during the Soviet era, from 1945 to 1991, there were only two attempts to steal such materials.  Ivanov also noted that of the 23 attempted thefts that took place between 1991 and 1999, only two had taken place since 1995. [He did not give any details of any of the incidents.] Ivanov asserted that Western media had reported on 90 incidents involving the theft of Russian nuclear materials which had later proven to be false. [The report did not specify when these 90 reports were published.]  Ivanov acknowledged that Russia needs to establish an effective system of nuclear materials control and accounting (MPC&A). He noted that nuclear materials are currently stored at 61 facilities across the Russian Federation.  He said that Minatom would like to consolidate this material at a smaller number of facilities, but existing law does not provide for such consolidation. Ivanov said that at a 28 September 2000 session the Russian cabinet had approved a plan of priority steps to create a functioning national MPC&A system in Russia. In particular, the government called for the development of a federal information system for MPC&A, the development and use of unified methods of measurement, the development and procurement of necessary Russian-made equipment, and the further development of the legal basis for a national MPC&A system. Ivanov argued that this work should be concentrated at Minatom, although he acknowledged that other Russian institutions that have control of nuclear materials should also be involved. A 29 September article in Rossiyskaya gazeta noted that of the 61 facilities that store nuclear materials, 14 are not under the control of Minatom, but belong to other Russian state institutions.[1] Rossiyskaya gazeta attributed the decline in attempted thefts of nuclear material since 1995 to measures taken by the Russian government to improve MPC&A.[1]  The paper complained, however, that most of these measures had been financed by Western assistance, using Western equipment that was not always well-suited to Russian conditions. The paper lamented that a Russian government program to improve MPC&A was not sufficiently financed, with only 70 million rubles budgeted for 2000-2006, which it claimed is "30 times less than needed."[1] As a result, the paper concluded, Russian specialists have not been able to place Russian-designed MPC&A equipment into production, and have so far only produced prototypes.[1] The paper said that all national MPC&A resources should be consolidated into an "inter-industry" program, so that they could be more efficiently utilized to create an effective national MPC&A program.[1] Commenting on the lack of domestic funding for MPC&A, Segodnya concluded that "Russia cannot afford the peaceful atom."[2] In a 2 October interview with the Federal News Service, Russian Minister of Atomic Energy Yevgeniy Adamov said that the government session at which the issue of the Russian national MPC&A system had been considered was merely "routine."[3] Adamov described the problem of "finding out how much fissile material we have and where it is located," as "not an urgent issue."[3] He admitted that the current Russian system of nuclear materials accounting is "antiquated."[3] He also admitted that it was "theoretically" possible to steal nuclear material from Russian facilities, "as our recent past attests."[3] He argued, however, that potential thieves would not be able to find buyers for these materials, which "sell very badly."[3]  He concluded: "You can steal fuel table[t]s or fuel rods from nuclear plants, only it is not clear what to do with them afterwards."[3]

 [1] Vladimir Kucherenko, "Yadernyye materialy bez prismotra ne ostanutsya," Rossiyskaya gazeta," 29 September 2000; in Integrum Techno, http://www.integrum.ru.

[2] Yekaterina Kats, "Colossus on Western Money: Russian Government Not Financing Nuclear Safety," Segodnya, 29 September 2000; in "Russian Deputy Minister: Fissile Material Recording System 'Almost Unrealizable," FBIS Document CEP20000929000099.

[3] "Interview with Minister for Atomic Energy Yevgeny Adamov," Federal News Service, 2 October 2000; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, http://www.lexis-nexis.com/universe.