* Saint-Petersburg State University - Radiophysics scientific school

- - - - - - - - - -

March 1, 2013

* [npp-newbuild-Russia] Russian construction milestones, World Nuclear News (thanx Nevada state ANP)

* [n-weapons-US-Russia-France] France reluctant to be involved in Russia-U.S. nuclear disarmament talks, Xinhua (a CSIS poniblogger top story)
Paris won't be involved in the nuclear disarmament talks between Russia and the United States, French President Francois Hollande said Thursday.

* [missile defense-US-Russia] American missile defence plans in Europe seriously worry Russia, Voice of Russia (via CSIS poniblogger)
The U.S. missile defence plans in Europe seriously worry Russia, secretary of the countrys National Security Council Nikolai Patrushev said at his meeting with his Polish counterpart Stanislaw Koziej in Moscow.

- - - - -

Jan 2, 2013

#nuclear #newbuild - Russia

Russia will begin construction of four reactors in Akkuya next year with a 4,800 megawatt output, at a cost of $20 billion.

Source: Jay Lehr, Ph.D. (Science Director - Heartland Institute), "Don't dismiss nuclear power", The Orange County Register, Jan 2, 2013

Sept 18, 2012

Russia - Putin expels US Agency for International Development

The Russian government has given the US Agency for International Development (USAID) until October 1 to shut its office in Moscow. USAID first opened the office in the wake of the Soviet Union's collapse. About 60% of USAid's $50m budget for 2012 went to 57 groups that promote democracy and human rights -- a sharp increase from the Bush era.

Putin, who returned to the presidency in May amid an unprecedented protest movement against him, has particular scorn for Golos, an election monitoring organisation that receives the bulk of its budget from USAid. The group highlighted voting violations during a contested parliamentary election in December, helping bring tens of thousands into the streets as reports and videos of fraud went viral on YouTube and social networks.

The Russian parliament passed a new law this summer that required all non-governmental organisations that receive foreign funding to brand themselves "foreign agents" on all publications and websites and to undergo extra financial checks.

Although rumours that the Kremlin was pressuring USAid had long swirled, the government's means of informing Washington appeared sudden. Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, first informed Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, of the planned move during a meeting at an economic summit in Vladivostok earlier this month. The foreign ministry sent official notice on 12 September. USAID's 13 diplomats will likely have to leave the country. The fate of the 60 locals that work for the office remains unclear.

Officials in Washington see the Russian move as part of the continuing war of attrition by Moscow against groups clamouring for greater democracy. They say it has been clear for some time that the Russian government has been irritated by USAid's support for an array of pro-democracy organisations, civic society groups and human rights activists. A senior Obama administration official remained defiant about US funding of civil society in Russia, saying the order to close the agency "doesn't mean we've changed our policy of supporting the kinds of actors USAid has supported", adding that "Over the coming weeks and months, the Obama administration will look at ways to advance our old policy objectives with new means." "While USAid's physical presence in Russia will come to an end, we remain committed to supporting democracy, human rights, and the development of a more robust civil society in Russia," state department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said in a statement.

Source: Miriam Elder (in Moscow) and Chris McGreal (in Washington), "USAid ordered out of Moscow as Putin's protest crackdown continues | American agency for international development has until 1 October to shut its office in Moscow", The Guardian, September 18, 2012 16.43 EDT

* BessMasterton comment: "In this case, I don't blame Putin. George Soros has funded a number of 'pro-democracy' groups that are benefiting from funding from USaid. Except their 'pro-democracy' means progressive. Any country that does not have a progressive government in place should expect trouble from NGOs and civil society who get funding from these people."

* savo47 comment: "Russian law about the label 'foreign agent' has the same text as the USA law, from before the WW2, which is still valid and used in the USA."

* ambivabloke comment: "The bulk of funding goes to completely apolitical advocacy for transparent election procedure. The fact that some are glad at this defunding... is discouraging. Yes, there are countless problems with American democracy, but having worked in Russia tangentially with these organisations I know that they are NOT political. Truly pragmatic support. The dismissive reactions on CIF are depressingly uninformed."

* constitutionforever comment: "Tsk, I wonder how long it is until Russia is trying to force it's democracy down the throats of Americans. Seriously what's the next Weather Underground and Symbionese Army gonna be called, and how many European socialists will cheer them on just as they did in the 60s? ..."

* dhugop comment: "More protesters were slaughtered in the street by Boris Yeltsin than all the protesters in Tienanmen..."

* ytrewq comment: "Well the US did resurrect Germany and Japan and provided the umbrella for Europe during the Cold War and quite possibly are the only barrier between you and the New China World Order. Trouble with you lot is you think it's all over and bad guys are some extinct species you look up in the index. Not that many NGOs aren't useless dinosaurs and self serving."

July 2, 2012

Moscow confirmed Friday that it gave its consent for NATO to use the Russian airbase in Ulyanovsk as a transit hub for operations in Afghanistan

Source: UPI, Moscow won't back down on missiles, July 2, 2012

December 27, 2010

Russia and India teaming to provide small reactors to South Asian market

Power plants in the 200-250 MW range are thought to be an excellent match for the needs of energy-starved Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. India has been helping them by linking their grids with its own. During the recent visit to India by Russian Oresident Medvedev, a framework for the two nations to work together in selling nuclear plants and services was established. Negotiators from New Delhi and Moscow said both sides are confident of executing projects jointly.

[Ref: Shubhajit Roy, "N-plants: India, Russia to counter China in South Asia", IndianExpress.com, December 27, 2010]

March 21, 2008

* Toshiba secures supply of Kazakhstan uranium in fuel deal with Russia

March 18, 2008

* South Africa shuts Russia out of first n-plant bid

February 6, 2008

Iran's long-range missile test prompts Deputy FM Alexander Losyukov to mention n-weapons concern

Russia has raised rare public doubts about Iran's nuclear programme when Moscow questioned the test launch of a rocket earlier this week. The Russian deputy foreign minister, Alexander Losyukov, was quoted today by Russian news agencies saying the research rocket fired on Monday was as a cause for concern. "It adds to general suspicions of Iran regarding its potential desire to build nuclear weapons," Losyukov said. "Long-range missiles are one of the components of such weapons. That causes concern." Iran said on Monday that the test rocket was intended to launch research satellites into space, but the US state department said the launch was a "troubling" display of a technology that could be used to fire long-range ballistic missiles.

[Source: Fred Attewill, "Russian alarm over Iranian missile test", Guardian Unlimited, Feb 6, 2008 12.15pm GMT]

February 6, 2008

This is from the front page of today's The Daily Telegraph, of London, England.

See full text of the p. 15 story, titled Russia 'ditching Cold War pacts'.

October 25, 2006

* Putin: not running for presidency in 2008
KRIS-TV (TX)

... During the lengthy broadcast, Putin also reeled off positive economic statistics, chided North Korea over nuclear weapons and vowed that recent high-profile ...

* New strategic nuclear subs to join Russian fleet soon - Putin
Interfax-AVN (Russia)

MOSCOW. Oct 25 - New strategic nuclear submarines will join the Russian fleet in the near future, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during ...

* Reports: Russia delays completion of Bushehr nuclear plant in Iran
International Herald Tribune (France)

MOSCOW Russia has postponed the completion of Iran's first nuclear power plant because of technical reasons, the head of the Russian company in charge of the ...

* Iran nuclear plant faces delay
NDTV.com (India)

Russia has not been able to complete Iran's first nuclear power plant as fast as it would like because of technical reasons, the head of the Russian company in ...

* Russian official: Bushehr delays have 'technical character'
Monsters and Critics.com (UK)

Moscow - Delays at Iran's Bushehr nuclear facility have a 'technical and administrative character' and are not political, Sergei Shmatko, an official at ...

* Putin urges caution in dealing with North Korea
Reuters/Swissinfo (Switzerland)

SEOUL - North Korea should not be backed into a corner over its nuclear test if the global community wants to resolve the crisis over the North's ...

* Putin: West shouldn't corner North Korea
United Press International

MOSCOW, Oct. 25 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said some states provoked North Korea's nuclear test by cornering the regime in Pyongyang. ...

* Putin: Resumption of six-party talks possible
Xinhua (China)

The possibility of resuming the six-party talks on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) nuclear program still exists, Russian ...

* Russia Uses Railway to Expand Role in North Korea (Update1)
Bloomberg

... President Vladimir Putin is strengthening ties with North Korea, even as most of the world seeks to punish Kim Jong Il's regime for testing a nuclear bomb. ...

* Rice plays down veiled Putin criticism of US handling of NKorea crisis
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News

* Interview with Russian FM Sergey Lavrov
Asharq Alawsat (UK)

... When we are faced with the threat of weapons of mass destruction and when talk is about a country which withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and ...

July 4, 2006

* India - Kudankulam plant construction behind schedule; Russian components supply problems cited

July 1, 2006

Russia's plans for new nuclear power plants

Russia currently gets 16% of its energy from nuclear power. The nation expects energy consumption to rise, and nuclear's share to increase to around 23 or 24% within the next thirteen years, according to Minister for Energy and Industry Viktor Khristenko, in a TV interview with state-run RIA Novosti. He said that Russia will start building new atomic energy reactors next year, with the reactors due to begin operating in 2011 or 2012.

The head of Russia's atomic energy agency, Sergei Kiriyenko, told the Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper that the top priority is to replace a reactor at the Leningrad power station in northwest Russia. Second in line is construction of a new reactor at the Volgodonskoi power station in southern Russia, followed by construction of a new reactor at the Kalininskoi power station in the western province of Tver

[Source: Agence France Presse, "Russia plans atomic energy expansion", July 1, 2006 8:57 am GMT]

June 30, 2006

* Turkey's plans to build 3 n-plants by 2015 draws interest from Russia, including proposal from Putin

June 20, 2006

* Russia expected to join Multinational Design Approval Program (MDAP) for Gen III and IV reactors

* [2006-05-31] A New Energy Eldorado
Michel Akerib, Russia Profile

* [2006-05-31] A New Energy Eldorado
Michel Akerib, Russia Profile

* [2006-05-31] MP calls for continuation of nuclear talks with Russia
IRNA

* [2006-05-30] Nuclear agency head outlines plans to build Urals NPP
RIA Novosti

* [2006-05-29] Russian Scientists Harness Star Power in New Battery
MosNews

* [2006-05-29] Beloyarsk NPP to be put into operation by 2012, official says
RIA Novosti

* [2006-05-29] Siberian nuclear-waste plant head returns to work after amnesty
RIA Novosti

* [2006-05-29] Russia to remove spent nuclear fuel from overseas by 2013
RIA Novosti

* [2006-05-26] Multipurpose nuclear submarine Volgograd scrapped
Bellona

* [2006-05-25] Update 3-EU, Russia talk energy, democracy before G8
Guy Faulconbridge and Jeff Mason, Reuters

* [2006-05-24] Russia's nuclear chief mulls 40 new NPP reactors by 2030
RIA Novosti

* [2006-05-24] Nuclear submarine 50 years of the USSR to be scrapped
Bellona

* [2006-05-24] Kiriyenko upbeat over U.S. opening nuclear market to Russian cos.
RIA Novosti

* [2006-05-24] Russia and US to draft peaceful nuclear energy use accord
RosBusinessConsulting

* [2006-05-23] Russia hopes for U.S. business support on nuclear fuel issue
RIA Novosti

* [2006-05-23] Court extends ex-nuclear minister Adamov detention to Aug.8
RIA Novosti

* [2006-05-23] Ex-nuclear minister's lawyers ask for charges to be dropped
RIA Novosti

* [2006-05-22] Rosatom plans to build a second Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant
Rashid Alimov, Bellona

* [2006-05-22] Russia, US to review uranium deal
Stephen Eke, BBC News

* [2006-05-22] Russia, US to Review Uranium Trade Deal
MosNews

* [2006-05-22] Russia says it wants end to U.S. nuclear discrimination
RIA Novosti

* [2006-05-22] Russian-U.S. nuclear cooperation urged
UPI

* [2006-05-19] Russia to build new nuclear station
UPI

* [2006-05-19] Second Typhoon being defuelled
Bellona

* [2006-05-19] Military prosecutors share BellonaÕs concern over vandalised RTG
Rashid Alimov, Bellona

* [2006-05-19] Russia to complete Bushehr plant 2007
IRIB News

* [2006-05-18] Volgodonsk NPP in south Russia back online after shutdown
RIA Novosti

* [2006-05-18] Russia needs nuclear market competition in U.S. - Kiriyenko
RIA Novosti

* [2006-05-17] Russia Said to Launch Reactors in 2010
Guardian

* [2006-05-17] Corporatisation of Russia nuclear sector launched Ð Kiriyenko
Itar-Tass

* [2006-05-17] Russia to launch two new nuclear reactors annually starting in 2010
Pravda

* [2006-05-17] Volgodonsk NPP in south Russia stopped for repairs
RIA Novosti

* [2006-05-15] Britain Alarmed by Russian Nuclear Reactors
MosNews

* [2006-05-15] Russia Grapples With an Atomic Dilemma
Yuriy Humber, Moscow Times

* [2006-05-15] Nuclear agency head to discuss nuclear cooperation on U.S. visit
RIA Novosti

* [2006-05-13] Resurgent Russia Is Unlikely to Heed U.S.
Paul Richter, Los Angeles Times

* [2006-05-13] The Russian bear is back - and this time it's gas-powered
Ian Traynor, Nick Paton Walsh and Ewen MacAskill, The Guardian

* [2006-05-13] TVEL to apply for public funding on $400 mln project
RIA Novosti

* [2006-05-12] U.S. backs missile defense cooperation with Russia
RIA Novosti

* [2006-05-12] U.S. Plans for Nuclear Warhead Replacement Irresponsible Ñ Russian Official
MosNews

* [2006-05-12] Former Russian PM Kasyanov slams Kremlin government and Russian energy policy
Claire Chevallier, Bellona

* [2006-05-11] Q&A: U.S.-Russian Relations 'Rather Precarious' Now
Bernard Gwertzman, New York Times

* [2006-05-11] Russian court amnesties nuclear waste plant chief
RIA Novosti

* [2006-05-11] Putin lashes out at 'wolf-like' America
Nick Paton Walsh and Ewen MacAskill, The Guardian

* [2006-05-11] Putin Hits Back, Criticizing U.S. In Yearly Address
Judith Ingram, Washington Post

* [2006-05-10] Putin address to nation: Excerpts
BBC News

* [2006-05-10] Putin Zings U.S. Back After Criticism
Steve Gutterman, Guardian

* [2006-05-10] Russian society greets spring in the courtrooms
Kristin Vibeke J¿rgensen, Bellona

* [2006-05-05] U.S. Warns Russia to Act More Like A Democracy
Peter Baker, Washington Post

* [2006-05-05] Cheney rebukes Russia on democracy, energy 'blackmail'
Turkish Daily News (subscription)

* [2006-05-05] Russia is blackmailing Europe over energy, says Cheney
Luke Harding, The Guardian

* [2006-05-05] Cheney slams Russia for interfering with neighbor nations
Winston-Salem Journal (NC)

* [2006-05-05] Russia Bristles at Cheney's Speech
CNSNews.com (VA)

* [2006-05-05] Russian energy profits aid military
ISN (Switzerland)

... Other voices in the Duma are calling for increased spending either on conventional weapons, nuclear weapons, or both, citing either aggressive Western intent ...

* [2006-05-05] Moscow Patriarchate official warns against threat of 'liberal ...
Interfax-Religion (Russia)

... stated his conviction that 'only in this way shall we be able to avoid a new liberal totalitarianism fraught with universal resistance and nuclear war between ...

* [2006-05-04] Cheney rebukes Russia on democracy, energy "blackmail"
Matt Spetalnick, Reuters

* [2006-05-04] Cheney's Sharp Criticism Miffs Russia
David Espo, Guardian

* [2006-05-04] Cheney rebukes Russia
Matt Spetalnick, Reuters

* [2006-05-03] Modernization of submarine fleet a priority - Navy Commander
RIA Novosti

* [2006-04-28] Moscow hopes Russian cos. will win NPP tenders in Bulgaria - Lavrov
RIA Novosti

* [2006-04-28] Russia: G8 to focus on energy
UPI

* [2006-04-28] Probe into Russian ex-nuclear minister's case concluded
RIA Novosti

* [2006-04-27] US mulls nuclear cooperation agreement with Russia
Carol Giacomo, Reuters

* [2006-04-27] Bulgaria, Russia, Ukraine Sign New Nuclear Fuel Transportation Deal
Sofia News Agency

* [2006-04-27] Ukraine, Russia, Bulgaria sign nuclear transit agreement
RIA Novosti

* [2006-04-25] Russia ready to cooperate with Ukraine in making sarcophagus at Chornobyl NPP ecologically safe object
NRCU

* [2006-04-25] Russia ready to cooperate with Ukraine in making sarcophagus at Chornobyl NPP ecologically safe object
NRCU

* [2006-04-24] Russian ballistic missiles to be equipped with new warhead
RIA Novosti

* [2006-04-24] Court postpones ruling on ex-nuclear power minister's release
RIA Novosti

* [2006-04-23] Russian Likely Won't Face U.S. Trial
Guardian

* [2006-04-21] Russia to process spent nuclear fuel, return it to Uzbekistan
RIA Novosti

* [2006-04-20] Rosatom official: Decision on Russian nuclear power program near
Platts

* [2006-04-20] Russia may lose its fleet of icebreakers- Ivanov
Interfax

* [2006-04-20] Bulgaria, Russia, Ukraine to sign new agt on nuclear fuel transit
Itar-Tass

* [2006-04-20] Russia should build new icebreakers - Transport Minister Igor Levitin said
Itar-Tass

* [2006-04-19] Russian academic sees first nuclear fusion power plant by 2030
RIA Novosti

* [2006-04-19] Russia aims to grow nuclear fuel business
UPI

* [2006-04-19] Russia aims for 25% of global nuclear fuel services market
Russia Journal

* [2006-04-18] Russia: G8 to focus on energy
UPI

* [2006-04-18] Nuclear Textbook Provokes Debate
Bellona

* [2006-04-17] Russia may offer Kyrgyzstan joint production of uranium
Akipress

* [2006-04-14] New Russian Missiles to Be Unrivalled for Next 15-20 Years Ñ Expert
MosNews

* [2006-04-14] When will the U.S. lift restrictions on Russian uranium exports?
RIA Novosti

* [2006-04-13] Russia has met nuclear arms reduction commitments - expert
Interfax

* [2006-04-13] Russian Held in Uranium Theft Case
MosNews

* [2006-04-13] Norway assists in scrapping of Russian nuclear sub
Rolleiv Solholm, Norway Post

* [2006-04-13] Northeast Russia troops Hq denies info on nuke sub blaze
Itar-Tass

* [2006-04-13] Ex-nuclear minister Adamov's defense team files new release plea
RIA Novosti

* [2006-04-13] Transportation minister urges construction of new icebreakers
RIA Novosti

* [2006-04-12] Norway releases funding for AMEC sub transportation in a victory for Bellona
Bellona

* [2006-04-12] Russians, Czechs to Team Up in Bulgaria Nuke Construction
Sofia News Agency

* [2006-04-12] Chernyobyl-like slovenliness today: RTGs are being vandalized near Norilsk
Rashid Alimov and Vera Ponomareva, Bellona

* [2006-04-11] Russia And Bulgaria Co-operate on NPP Project
Sofia Echo

* [2006-04-10] Russia mulls uranium production abroad - official
RIA Novosti

* [2006-04-10] Russian TVEL to Extract up to 7,5 Tons of Uranium in 2020
Focus News

* [2006-04-09] Just When It's Needed, Russia's Not There
Steven R. Weisman, New York Times

* [2006-04-07] Limits on Russian nuclear fuel supplies to U.S. unprofitable
Moussaoui, RIA Novosti

* [2006-04-06] Nuclear Firms Court Russian Fuel Trader
Yuriy Humber, Moscow Times

* [2006-04-06] Russian uranium enrichment offers to be submitted to govt. soon
RIA Novosti

* [2006-04-06] Russian Who Prevented Nuclear Sub Explosion Nominated for Nobel Prize
MosNews

* [2006-04-05] Atomic Energy Agency Head Denies Privatization of Russian Nuclear Facilities
MosNews

* [2006-04-05] Moscow court prolongs ex-nuclear minister's arrest till June 8
RIA Novosti

* [2006-04-03] Russians Sense the Heat of Cold War
Peter Finn, Washington Post

* [2006-03-31] Russian-built reactor at NPP in China to come online soon
RIA Novosti

* [2006-03-31] Russian-built reactor to open in China
UPI

* [2006-03-31] 2005 saw 235 accidents at RussiaÕs high-risk industrial facilities
Itar-Tass

* [2006-03-30] Putin Says Nuke Deterrent Remains Priority
Guardian

* [2006-03-29] Russians balk on light-water reactor deal
UPI

* [2006-03-28] China ready to join Russia in floating NPP construction
RIA Novosti

* [2006-03-28] Russian company guarantees nuclear fuel deliveries to S.Korea
RIA Novosti

* [2006-03-28] Russian nuclear tech exporter ready to complete Slovakian NPP
RIA Novosti

* [2006-03-28] Russia Picks Site for New Nuclear Center
Yuriy Humber, Moscow Times

* [2006-03-27] Most EU leaders back reviving nuclear power
David Gow, The Guardian (London), p. 24

The overwhelming majority of leaders at last week's European Union summit, including Tony Blair, strongly backed a revival of nuclear power as the answer to Europe's growing dependence on overseas supplies and to combat climate change. Only Germany and Austria explicitly rejected the nuclear option in secret summit talks, according to senior German diplomats, who pointed out that Angela Merkel, the chancellor and a trained physicist, favoured it personally but was bound by her Social Democrat coalition partners to reject it.

Last week's summit endorsed the notion of an EU action plan designed to save 20% of energy consumption by 2020 and plans to raise the 6% of energy provided by renewables to 20% by the same date.

But EU leaders rejected Mr Piebalgs' call for a European energy regulator to police the market and provide the framework to invest in common gas and electricity grids that, with new power plants, could cost euros 1,000bn (£700bn) by 2030. By then the EU will import 70% of its energy, mainly gas from Russia, Algeria and Norway, as North Sea reserves run out.

Mr Piebalgs, who also favours the use of clean coal, carbon sequestration and biomass, indicated that a critical answer to Europe's long-term supply needs was to increase the market for liquefied natural gas (LNG), which could be imported from several countries. He suggested that LNG should provide 20%-25% of European energy within the next 25 years.

* [2006-03-27] Russian nuclear plant chief prosecuted for waste-dumping in river
Agence France Presse, 1:08 pm GMT

The head of Russia's main nuclear fuel processing centre is being prosecuted for allegedly dumping atomic waste in a local river, the daily Gazeta reported Monday. Vitaly Sadovnikov, the boss of the Mayak plant in the Urals region of Chelyabinsk, is accused of violating environmental regulations by allowing the dumping of tens of millions of cubic metres of waste in the Techa river basin between 2001 and 2004. Last November regional prosecutor Andrey Potapov alleged that the Mayak plant was pouring nearly 10 million cubic metres (353 million cubic feet) of contaminated water into the Techa every year. Quoting local prosecutors, the paper said the level of radioactivity in the river had reached dangerous levels.

Sadovnikov, a member of the local parliament, had been deprived of his parliamentary immunity and dismissed from his post last month after being charged, the report said.

* [2006-03-27] Russian nuclear submarines to guard Arctic continental shelf borders
Bellona

* [2006-03-27] Russian nuclear plant chief prosecuted for waste-dumping in river
Yahoo! UK

* [2006-03-27] Bush White House requests a $43m decrease in CTR funding
Charles Digges, Bellona

* [2006-03-23] Russia Seeks More of China's Nuclear Power Industry
Shai Oster, Washington Post

* [2006-03-23] USA capable of wiping out RussiaÕs nuclear capacity in single strike
Pravda

* [2006-03-23] Third nuclear submarine of the fourth generation laid down in Severodvinsk
Bellona

* [2006-03-23] European Commission reacts to new Russian NGO law
Claire Chevallier, Bellona

* [2006-03-22] NRDC: Nuclear Notebook--Russian nuclear forces, 2006
Robert S. Norris and Hans M. Kristensen, BulletinWire

* [2006-03-22] Russia opens energy tap, China wants more
Tom Miles and Lindsay Beck, Reuters

* [2006-03-22] Norsk Hydro could contribute to longer life-time of Kola NPP
Bellona

* [2006-03-21] China, Russia ink major gas deal
BBC News

* [2006-03-21] Putin brings energy chiefs to China talks
Tom Miles, Reuters

* [2006-03-21] Putin arrives in China with spotlight on energy
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News

* [2006-03-21] Russia-China nuclear cooperation to continue - Putin
Interfax

* [2006-03-21] Techa-2006 competition hit by legal problems and environmentalists' doubts
Vera Ponomareva, Bellona

* [2006-03-21] Russian nuclear subs to survey Arctic continental shelf borders
RIA Novosti

* [2006-03-20] Russia nuke agency chief to inspect NPP construction in China
Itar-Tass

* [2006-03-19] Russia to provide full-scale maintenance for its new nuclear subs
RIA Novosti

* [2006-03-17] Russia and US in push for 'rebirth' of nuclear energy
Carl Mortished, London Times

* [2006-03-17] China backs Russian proposal on nuclear fuel centers
RIA Novosti

* [2006-03-17] Russia wants to expand cooper with China in nuke peaceful uses
Itar-Tass

* [2006-03-17] India and Russia in energy talks
BBC News

* [2006-03-17] Indian PM thanks Russia for proposed uranium supply
Yahoo! News

* [2006-03-17] Bulgaria, Russia, Ukraine to sign new deal on nuclear fuel transportation
Xinhua News

* [2006-03-17] Putin to discuss new Russia-EU agreement, energy with EC head
RIA Novosti

* [2006-03-16] Nuclear energy monopoly boss dismissed - nuclear agency
RIA Novosti

* [2006-03-16] Factories polluting major river in Siberia - prosecutors
RIA Novosti

* [2006-03-16] Energy diversification could reduce security risks - minister
RIA Novosti

* [2006-03-16] US, Russia in nuclear power call
BBC News

* [2006-03-16] US, Russia push nuclear power at G8 energy meet
Dmitry Zhdannikov and Tom Miles, Reuters

* [2006-03-16] Russian premier set to begin Indian trip amid uranium controversy
Yahoo! Australia

* [2006-03-16] India says Russian nuke supply to Tarapur is no violation
IRNA

* [2006-03-16] Russian G8 statement backs fossil fuels, nuclear
Reuters

* [2006-03-16] Russia drafts concrete initiatives on energy for G8 summit - Putin
RIA Novosti

* [2006-03-15] Saddam Had WMD: The Missing Dots
Investor's Business Daily editorial, p. A12

Of the more than 2 million documents captured after the fall of Baghdad, fewer than 4% have been translated. Stephen Hayes of The Weekly Standard has revealed that President Bush has ordered the release for public analysis of more than 3,000 hours of audiotapes of Saddam Hussein chairing his Revolutionary Command Council and 48,000 boxes of records documenting his military activities. The order came Feb. 17, a day after ABC News broadcast snippets from 12 hours of audiotapes obtained by FBI translator and former U.N. weapons inspector Bill Tierney. The president, according to Hayes, told National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley that "this stuff ought to be out."

And indeed it should. For in the 12 hours of tapes revealed so far is documentation that Saddam had active WMD programs and conspired to deceive weapons inspectors, hiding them and then spiriting them out of the country with Russian help. In short, they are a damning indictment of the "Bush lied" crowd and a total justification for Operation Iraqi Freedom. The recordings released so far show how Saddam was hiding his WMD from weapons inspectors. They also show the Iraqi dictator discussing previously unknown plans for enriching uranium. In one 1992 tape, Saddam discusses the diversion of electric power from a massive plant in Basra for a uranium-enrichment process like one the U.S. used to create the first atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. In another tape, a top Iraqi scientist explains to Saddam how uranium is being enriched through the advanced process of plasma separation. On another of the tapes, one of Saddam's top aides asks rhetorically, "Where was the nuclear material transported to?" Answering his own question, he then says, "A number of them were transported out of Iraq."

Details of the release of the tapes and documents are still being worked out, including a "scrubbing" the data for sensitive information. But Rep. Peter Hoekstra, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee is delighted. He says just 68 of the 48,000 boxes of documents captured in the coalition's rapid advance three years ago and held at U.S. Central Command's forward command in Qatar have been delivered to his committee. "This is a bold decision in favor of openness," said Hoekstra, who's been dogged in his determination to get the material out. "By placing these documents online and allowing the public the opportunity to review them, we can cut years off the time it will take to gain knowledge from this potential treasure trove of information." A frustrated Hoekstra once said of the unreleased information, "I'm beginning to believe the postwar intelligence may be as bad as the prewar intelligence." From what we know so far, the postwar intelligence in this material may prove the prewar intelligence to be on the money.

* [2006-03-15] US proposes global civilian nuclear partnership
Yahoo! News

* [2006-03-15] Russia risks missing nuclear power target: president
Platts

* [2006-03-15] Scientists urge Russia to focus back on fast neutron reactors
RIA Novosti

* [2006-03-15] Secretary Bodman Travels to Russia to Advance Energy Security
DOE

* [2006-03-14] Saddam had no WMDs, lived in dream: Report
Martin Sieff, U.P.I., 9:30 am EST

"Saddam's Delusions: The View from the Inside" is the title of a major new report based on previously inaccessible primary sources. The report was produced by the Pentagon's Iraq's Perspectives Project and written by Kevin Woods, James Lacey and Williamson Murray. Extracts from the report are being published in an 8,500 word article in the May-June issue of Foreign Affairs. "Saddam believed that the United States was a paper tiger and that France and Russia would protect him," Foreign Affairs wrote. The article confirms recent assessments that Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction before he was toppled, but it says that he wanted others to suspect he might. "In the last months before the war he realized that it was too dangerous to continue playing this double game and finally decided to cooperate fully with international inspectors. But at that point his track record of repeatedly lying meant that no one believed him," Foreign Affairs said. The report concludes that Saddam was so out of touch with events in the totalitarian bubble that he was convinced the war was still going brilliantly well when everything was collapsing all around him. "How did Saddam think the war was going? Swimmingly. Because everyone knew that Saddam severely punished anybody who told him unpleasant truths, the entire regime was built on lies. During wartime, this meant that junior officers told senior officers that everything was going well, they reported it up the chain of command, and Saddam himself remained a prisoner of his delusions," Foreign Affairs said. "As late as the end of March 2003, Saddam apparently still believed the war to be going the way he had expected. If Iraq was not actually winning it, neither was it losing -- or, at least, so it seemed to the dictator," the report said. "...The evidence now clearly shows that Saddam and those around him believed virtually every word issued by their own propaganda machine." That was why, the report, said, on March 30, "Saddam's principal secretary directed the Iraqi foreign minister to tell the French and Russian governments that Baghdad would accept only an 'unconditional withdrawal' of U.S. forces because 'Iraq is now winning and ... the United States has sunk in the mud of defeat.' At that moment, U.S. tanks were a hundred miles south of Baghdad, refueling and rearming for the final push."

* [2006-03-14] We were right to invade Iraq: The failures of occupation may be legion, but at least we confronted Saddam at a time of our choosing
Oliver Kamm, The Guardian (London), p. 30

We no longer have to bear one major risk: a psychopathic despot overcoming a porous sanctions regime, and using oil sales to pay for resumed WMD production. The absence of WMD was a huge intelligence failure; so it is fortunate that we are no longer reliant on Saddam's word. As Professor Graham Pearson, of the Bradford University school of peace studies, has written, focusing on stockpiles is misconceived: "In an aggressor state, there is no requirement to have such stockpiles as the national strategy is not one of having an ability to retaliate in kind but rather ... to use chemical and biological weapons at a time of its choosing." Saddam did possess dual-use facilities that, according to Charles Duelfer of the Iraq Survey Group, could quickly have produced chemical and biological weapons.

Had we not overthrown Saddam, Iraq today would be far from tranquil. Many argue that the absence of WMD shows that western policy had been working. It was in reality unravelling fast, and few opponents of war treated the problem seriously. Saddam allowed intrusive inspections only because of the threat of force. Containment of his regime would have meant continuous military deployment in neighbouring states and the no-fly zones; intensified economic sanctions; inspections coercive enough to withstand Saddam's intimidation and fraud; and the support of France and Russia. Even with personalities of greater competence than Hans Blix and higher morals than Jacques Chirac, that commitment would have been inconceivable.

"Any war will cause a refugee crisis of huge proportions," insisted Charles Kennedy. Iraqis proved him wrong by distinguishing perfectly well between a war on tyranny and a war on them, and stayed put.

* [2006-03-14] Scientist proposes floating nuclear plants
UPI

Mikhail Kovalchuk, director of the Kurchatov Institute in Russia, foresees assembly-line production of floating nuclear plants.

* [2006-03-14] India says Russia to supply fuel to atomic plants
Reuters

* [2006-03-14] US opposes India getting nuclear fuel until NPT standards met
Yahoo! News

* [2006-03-14] Putin Calls for Increase in RussiaÕs Nuclear Power Output
MosNews

* [2006-03-14] Putin urges increase in nuclear power output
RIA Novosti

* [2006-03-13] Chinese predict bright future
Aljazeera.net (Qatar)

... Government research institutes are hoping to soon market a new 'meltdown proof' nuclear technology that could propel China past France, Russia, and the United ...

* [2006-03-13] Russian energy divides opinions in Finland
Newsroom Finland

* [2006-03-13] Russian nuclear boss to start China visit March 17
RIA Novosti (Russia)

The head of Russia's nuclear agency will start a three-day visit to China Friday, the agency said Monday. ...

* [2006-03-13] Russian state-controlled television revives allegation of secret prison
Kyiv Post (Ukraine)

The alleged prison was located in a former nuclear weapons storage base in a military garrison in the Kyiv region, an investigative reporter for Rossiya ...

* [2006-03-13] Tehran threatens to block Strait of Hormuz
Regnum (Russia)

* [2006-03-13] Russian energy divides opinions in Finland
Newsroom Finland

* [2006-03-13] Russian nuclear boss to start China visit March 17
RIA Novosti

* [2006-03-13] Russian nuclear monopoly mulls NPP construction in Far East
RIA Novosti

* [2006-03-13] Russian offer to be considered in light of new situation: Entezami
IRNA

* [2006-03-13] Secretary Bodman Travels to Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Hungary
DOE

* [2006-03-13] Project Update: Establishing Priorities for US-Russian Cooperation in Countering Radiological Terrorism
NAS

* [2006-03-12] Decision to report nuclear case to UNSC based on US-Russia deal
IRNA

* [2006-03-10] Bulgaria secures deal with Russia on nuclear fuel supply until 2020
Xinhua News

* [2006-03-10] Russia extends deal on nuclear fuel supplies to Bulgaria
Xinhua News

* [2006-03-10] Construction of floating nuclear plant begins
Bellona

* [2006-03-10] Nuclear experts discuss radwaste repository options for RussiaÕs Northwest
Vera Ponomareva, Bellona

* [2006-03-09] Russia to provide nuclear fuel for Bulgarian plant until 2020
RIA Novosti

* [2006-03-09] Russia's nuclear power plants rose energy generation.
AK&M

* [2006-03-09] ÒEcodefenseÓ: an echelon with German nuclear waste is coming to Russia
Regnum

* [2006-03-09] Russia does not import nuclear waste - IAEA expert
RIA Novosti

* [2006-03-08] Ukraine plans SNF storage as Russian costs rise
Nuclear Engineering

* [2006-03-08] Russian nuclear reorganisation mooted
Nuclear Engineering

* [2006-03-07] Rice, Lavrov expose widening US-Russia rift
Saul Hudson, Reuters

* [2006-03-07] Is there an alternative to a new Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant?
Vera Ponomareva, Bellona

* [2006-03-07] Arbitration court suspended bankruptcy case against navy shipyard
Bellona

* [2006-03-07] Russia, U.S. could conclude nuclear agreements before G8 summit
RIA Novosti

* [2006-03-06] Public hearings on Leningrad NPP dry storage to be held post factum
Vera Ponomareva, Bellona

* [2006-03-06] US Report: US-Russia relations deteriorating
Bellona

* [2006-03-06] United Russia urges government to finish construction of Kursk NPP
Itar-Tass

* [2006-03-05] Report: U.S.-Russia Relations Impaired
George Gedda, Guardian

* [2006-03-05] Russian foreign minister visits Washington as tensions rise
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News

* [2006-03-03] Ukraine, Russia sign contract to extend RS-20 service life
Itar-Tass

* [2006-03-03] Russia to invest $10 billion in uranium mining and processing
Charles Digges, Bellona

* [2006-03-03] Nuclear Waste Plant Chief Dismissed Over Breach of Environment Safety in Central Russia
MosNews

* [2006-03-03] Greenpeace Condemns RussiaÕs Environmental Review Process
Russia Newswire

* [2006-03-01] Russia to get new nuclear-powered icebreaker this year
Bellona

* [2006-03-01] Russia to invest $10 billion in uranium mining and processing
Charles Digges, Bellona

* [2006-03-01] Russia suggests Òroad mapÓ to settle DPRK nuclear problem
Itar-Tass

* [2006-03-01] Floaty atomic stations to be built in Russia
Kazinform

* [2006-03-01] Russia Aims to Build Two Nuclear Reactors Annually Ñ Atomic Agency
MosNews

* [2006-03-01] Russian, Hungarian companies sign NPP modernization memorandum
RIA Novosti

January 14, 2006

* Russia - 3-MW - 40-MW Floating Nuclear Plant construction to start this year

October 16, 2005

* Iran - Russia's apparent nurturing has strategic roots in desire to counter USA; Russia and North Korea reportedly aiding Iran long-range missile program; revelation dramatically raises the stakes in diplomatic and economic battle over Iran's nuclear ambitions

April 16, 2005

* US and Russia look for international aid to shut down Russia's production reactors
Charles Digges, Bellona

In what has becoming an increasingly unpredictable, expensive and far overdue programme, the US Department of Energy (DOE) and its Russian counterparts are seeking international donations in their project to shut the last three remaining weapons-grade plutonium production reactors in Russia. The weapons-grade plutonium producing reactors, two of which are located in the central Siberian city of Seversk, near Tomsk, and the other in Zheleznogorsk, near KrasnoyarskÑare the last three of Russia's 13 production rectors to be shut down. The United States' 14 production reactors have all been halted. ... The programme is currently known as the Elimination of Weapons-Grade Plutonium Production programme, and will replace the reactors with fossil fuel plants. Both the original and current programmes have experienced cost overruns that are equal to more than 100 percent of their respective anticipated costs. The joint US-Russian effort has now taken its troubles, hat in hand, before the international community to solicit further funding for the project. The DOE has requested $132 million for the program in its fiscal year 2006 budget request, a 200 percent increase over the 2005 allocation. NNSA Administrator Linton Brooks, in a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee March 2, said that the budget request was "fully adequate" to shut down the two nuclear reactors at Seversk, the web-based Arms Control Today reported. But shutting down the third Russian plutonium-producing reactor in Zheleznogorsk entails constructing a new fossil fuel plant, a venture that, according to the DOE, requires at least $100m from international donors to meet its completion target date of 2011, said the web site. ... Though the project baseline cost will not be determined by Moscow and Washington until June, reported Arms Control Today, nuclear officials on both sides of the ocean interviewed by Bellona Web have estimated that cost could skyrocket to nearly $1 billion.

As the reactors themselves have been kept running for the stated purpose of heating and powering their respective communities, it follows that the estimated 1,200 to 1,500 kilograms of weapons-grade plutonium -- enough to make some 300 warheads a year -- that they produce would be rendered "surplus" as per the 2000 US-Russia Plutonium Disposition agreement. This agreement signed by former US president Bill Clinton and Russian President Vladimir Putin, stipulated that each country will dispose of 34 tonnes each of weapons-grade plutonium declared surplus to its military need. The primary method for disposing of the fuel was mandated by the Bush administration to be via the use of MOX, or mixed uranium and weapons-grade plutonium fuel in specially retrofitted commercial reactors -- despite the significantly lower costs of immobilization. But the MOX programme hit a brick wall in late 2003 when the US State Department refused to renew an earlier 5-year-long research and information exchange agreement signed in 1998 between the two countries. The State Department's refusal to renew the programme was its insistence that 1998 agreement be renegotiated to include all stipulations in the CTR "Umbrella Agreement," which was designed to exempt US nuclear dismantlement efforts in Russia from all liability. The Russians remain opposed to the "Umbrella Agreement." Originally, the Russia side had agreed to incorporate at least that plutonium produced at the Seversk and Zheleznogorsk reactors, which is stored in oxide form on site at the respective plants. But the head of Russia's Federal Agency for Atomic Energy (Rosatom) -- the defunct Ministry of Atomic Energy's successor -- Alexander Rumyantsev has in recent months issued ambiguous statements about the fate of the plutonium produced in Seversk and Zheleznogorsk, largely, say Russian nuclear regulatory officials, out of frustration with the hard line US policies on liability and the uncertainty that the 2000 Plutonium Disposition agreement will ever reach the stage of implementation. The US and Russia have also turned to the international community for donations toward building Russia's industrial scale MOX fabrication plant, which carried an estimated price tag of $2 billion. So far, only $800m has been forthcoming and few G-8 member countries have expressed interest in donating to the project.

* 2005-05-21: US rejects Iranian proposal for Russian help in uranium conversion
Yahoo! News

* 2005-05-21: Russia to continue nuclear cooperation with Iran
Persian Journal

* 2005-05-20: Russia's former Nuclear Power Minister Adamov to be jailed for 60 years over nuclear secrets
Pravda (Russia)

Yevgeny Adamov has been arrested in Switzerland, and the Swiss government must decide whether or not to extradite him to the United States. He has been charged with money laundering, tax evasion, conspiracy to defraud the US and conspiracy to transfer stolen money. The Russian government objects to it's former former Atomic Energy Minister being prosecuted by a foreign nation without Russia's consent. Russia notes that allegations against Mr. Adamov regarding the period when he was the minister are immune from foreign prosecution under "the norms of international law". Russia's position is that "Criminal prosecution of Yevgeny Adamov must be conducted in the Russian Federation in line with the Russian law should grounds for taking legal action against him be deemed sufficient."

The US allocated millions of dollars to improve security at Russian nuclear plants at the time when Mr. Adamov was an atomic energy minister. The money was sent to his ministry. "Small wonder," Isvesta reports, "it was lost in the process. The money reportedly came to light in the bank accounts held by Mr. Adamov in the states of Delaware and Pennsylvania, and also in the principality of Monaco. Mr. Adamov was indicted on 20 counts by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The former atomic energy minister and his business partner, Mark Kaushanski, had a consulting company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ... called Energy Pool. It lasted a mere three months before folding for good. However, the money kept coming in to the company's accounts for nearly five years after the company was declared defunct. Mr. Adamov and Mr. Kaushanski deny the charges. Lanny A. Breuer, one of the lawyers hired by Mr. Adamov, believes that his client 'did what everybody else was doing at the time, he kept hard currency accounts abroad, and he paid salaries to the staff of the institute out of his own pocket using his personal bank accounts in Russia to avoid hypertrophied taxation system and criminals who might interfere into the business projects.'"

There is some speculation that the US is so interested in this case mainly due to some Iranian or other potential proliferation matter than with the actual charges filed.

* 2005-05-20: China due to announce winning bids for nuclear power plants
AP/Malaysia Star

Announcement expected by October. Construction of the four plants is due to begin a year after contracts are signed. The $8-billion deal the largest in years for international nuclear equipment makers. France nuclear group Areva; Westinghouse Electric Co., the U.S. unit of British Nuclear Fuels PLC; and Russia's AtomStroyExport all are vying for the contracts. "It's hard to predict which one will be the final winner", said Fu Manchang, secretary general of the China Nuclear Society.

* 2005-05-20: Sweden allocates $30 million to Russia's nuclear waste recycling
Bellona

* 2005-05-20: Putin Submits Spent Fuel Convention to Parliament
RIA Novosti

* 2005-05-20: Moscow will fight former nuclear chiefÍs extradition to the United States
Charles Digges, Bellona

* 2005-05-19: Sweden allocates $30mln for Russia's nuclear waste recycling
Interfax

* 2005-05-19: Russia, France call for support of convention on nuclear terror
Interfax

* 2005-05-19: Russia Urges Swiss on Ex-Nuclear Chief
Guardian

* 2005-05-19: Russia requests extradition of former atomic energy minister from Switzerland
Onna Coray, Pravda

* 2005-05-19: Russian Foreign Ministry: Adamov's Extradition to the US Inadmissible Without Russia's Agreement
RIA Novosti

* 2005-05-19: Iran seeks Russian help in nuke dispute -diplomats
Louis Charbonneau, Reuters

* 2005-05-18: Russia, Vietnam Boosting Nuclear Cooperation
RIA Novosti

* 2005-05-17: Vietnam Boosts Nuclear Cooperation with Russia
RIA Novosti

* 2005-05-17: Surviving on Nuclear Waste: Kazakhstan, Russia and Other Nuclear Waste Importers
Sam Vaknin, Ph.D., Global Politician

* 2005-05-17: Russia wants to extend life of Sosnovyi Bor nuclear plant through 2026
Heli Saavalainen, Helsingin Sanomat

* 2005-05-17: Russia Ready to Reduce Nuclear Arms Below Levels Agreed With U.S. Ñ Officials
MosNews

* 2005-05-16: Nuclear engineers from India arrive in Russia for consultations
Itar-Tass

* 2005-05-16: Two new reactors planned for Russian nuclear plant near Finland
Helsingin Sanomat

* 2005-05-12: Senior Russian Lawmaker Blames North Korea Nuclear Crisis on U.S.
MosNews

Konstantin Kosachyov, the head of the foreign affairs committee in Russia's lower house of parliament, visited Pyongyang last week as the head of a Russian delegation. Kosachyov said that North Korea wants an apology for hostile U.S. comments before it would resume six-party talks on its nuclear program. In particular Washington's labelling of North Korea as an "outpost of tyranny" is a key obstacle to resuming the six-party talks that stalled in the middle of last year. "We were informed that without public official apologies by Washington in this regard there will be no reconsideration by Pyongyang of its position on six-party talks," Kosachev said. The North Korean leadership fears that "colored revolutions" that hit some of the post-Soviet republics over recent months might spread into its territory, he said. While the U.S. administration has labeled North Korea a part of the so-called axis of evil, the North Korean government fears that the U.S. could take action to overthrow its ruling regime, Kosachyov said.

* 2005-05-12: U.S. Provokes Crisis in North Korean Nuclear Settlement
RIA Novosti

* 2005-05-12: Russia says Iran's nuclear conversion plan is 'legitimate'
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News

* 2005-05-12: Iran to Get Russian Nuclear Fuel in Late 2005
RIA Novosti

* 2005-05-11: Russia to send Iran nuclear fuel "by early 2006"
Reuters

* 2005-05-11: Russia to allow US inspectors into some nuclear sites, but not all
Yahoo! News

* 2005-05-10: Russia to build more N-reactors in India
Rediff

* 2005-05-10: Russia May Build New Nuclear Power Stations in India Ñ Putin Aide
MosNews

* 2005-05-09: India, Russia agree to expand nuclear energy cooperation
Press Trust of India

* 2005-05-09: Russia may build more n-power reactors in India
Itar-Tass

* 2005-05-09: Russian NPPs lacking room for spent nuclear fuel and radwaste
Bellona

* 2005-05-08: Putin Calls Not to Deprive Iran of Possibility to Use Nuclear Technologies
RIA Novosti

* 2005-05-08: Russia urges resumption of nuclear talks: KCNA
Reuters

* 2005-05-07: Russia's Updated Nuclear Submarine to be Back in Service Soon
RIA Novosti

* 2005-05-06: U.S. charges ex-Russian minister of diverting funds
Deborah Charles, Reuters

* 2005-05-06: U.S. Report Says Russian Nuclear Weapons Not Secure From Terrorists
MosNews

* 2005-05-06: U.S. Charges Former Russian Nuclear Boss Adamov With Diverting Funds
MosNews

* 2005-05-05: Russia's Updated Nuclear Submarine to be Back in Service Soon
RIA Novosti

* 2005-05-05: Russians Suspect U.S. Wants to Get Nuke Secrets From Arrested Ex-Minister
MosNews

* 2005-05-05: Borodin Claims Former Minister Arrested for Political Reasons
RIA Novosti

* 2005-05-05: Russia to continue to optimize Strategic Missile Troops
Xinhua News

* 2005-05-05: Russian ex-nuclear minister held over fraud
Tom Parfitt, The Guardian

* 2005-05-04: UK and Norway to sponsor dismantling of two more nuclear subs
Bellona

* 2005-05-04: Swiss arrest former Russian minister at U.S. request
Reuters

* 2005-05-04: Russia cut nuclear arms by 80% since 1991 - official
Interfax

* 2005-05-04: NK Fired Russian Missile: Official
Korea Times

* 2005-05-04: Russian Accused of Stealing Millions, Lawyers Say
David Stout, New York Times

* 2005-05-04: Over Five Years Russia Cuts Its Nuclear Strength by 1,740 Warheads
Andrei Loshchilin, RIA Novosti

* 2005-05-04: EU happy with RussiaÕs position on IranÕs nuclear program
Tehran Times

* 2005-05-03: North Korea could hold nuclear test in June, senior Russian lawmaker says
Pravda

* 2005-05-03: Russian MP: North Korea is Not Bluffing Saying It has Nuclear Weapons
RIA Novosti

* 2005-05-03: Russia to fund IAEA project
Interfax

* 2005-05-03: How Close Have American Inspectors Come to Russia's Nuclear Sites
Tatyana Sinitsyna, RIA Novosti

* 2005-05-01: "Russia Willing to Discuss North Korean Nuclear Issue in UN Security Council"
Hun-joo Cho and Seung-ryun Kim, Dong-A Ilbo

* 2005-04-02: Status Report: RTGs still an underestimated foe in securing loose nukes in Russia
Rashid Alimov and Charles Digges, Bellona

* 2005-04-02: BellonaÕs working paper: Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators
Rashid Alimov, Bellona

* 2005-04-01: Canada and the United States Cooperate to Shut Down One of the Last Weapons-Grade Plutonium Production Reactors in Russia
DOE

* 2005-04-01: Nuclear clean-up works at the Russian navy sites can take 20 years
Bellona

* 2005-04-01: UK agreement to strengthen nuclear security in Russia
Bellona

* 2005-03-31: Canada and US join forces to shut down Russia Pu production reactors
Charles Digges, Bellona

* 2005-03-31: New Russian arms program to finance nuclear cruiser Admiral NakhimovÕs upgrade
Bellona

* 2005-03-31: Canada, U.S. Agree to Shut Down Russian Plutonium Reactor
MosNews

* 2005-03-31: Italy to Help Russia to Dispose of Its Decommissioned Submarines
RIA Novosti

* 2005-03-31: Russia: Fewer Trespasses Reported from Nuke Plants as Danger Persists in Coal Mines
RIA Novosti

* 2005-03-30: US-Canadian accord aims to eliminate Russian plutonium producer
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News

* 2005-03-30: Sweden grants Russia 6 million dollars for nuclear safety
Bellona

* 2005-03-29: Russia to Help Develop Nuclear-Powered Spacecraft
RIA Novosti

* 2005-03-28: Earthquakes Threaten Russian Nuclear Power Plants Ñ Ministry
MosNews

* 2005-03-25: No radiation Ð no compensation
Bellona

* 2005-03-25: Russian atomic industry will not be short of natural uranium
Itar-Tass

* 2005-03-23: Lithuania found place for underground repository for spent nuclear fuel
Bellona

* 2005-03-23: Radioactive Goods Prevented from Crossing Russia's Border
RIA Novosti

* 2005-03-23: No radiation Ð no compensation
Bellona

* 2005-03-22: 444 families want to leave radioactive village
Bellona

* 2005-03-22: Russia Ratifies Nuclear Accident Convention
MosNews

* 2005-03-22: Fuel leak narrowly averted at Chalk River
Bellona

* 2005-03-22: Russian Navy Refutes Reports of Soviet Nuclear Torpedoes off Italian Coast
MosNews

* 2005-03-22: Russian Nuclear-Powered Submarine Placed No Nuclear Torpedoes in Mediterranean in 1970
RIA Novosti

* 2005-03-22: Russia Ratifies Nuke Accident Convention
Guardian

* 2005-03-22: Russia Ratifies Nuclear Accident Convention
MosNews

* 2005-03-22: U.S. experts will not inspect Russia's nuclear facilities - Ivanov
Interfax

* 2005-03-19: Iran asks EU and Russia to respect its enrichment right
Yahoo! UK

* 2005-03-18: The French Start Knocking Heads
Richard S. Dunham, Business Week (cover date March 21), p. 47

...[T]he French have devised a novel way to squeeze Iran over its nuclear program..., arguing that only countries in good standing under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty may operate commercial nukes. With its nuclear deceptions, Tehran flunks that test, France argues -- so foreign contractors ought to be barred from completing Iran's Bushehr reactor. The missing piece: getting Russia, whose companies have the contract, on board.

* 2005-03-18: Ukraine admits exporting missiles to Iran and China
Tom Warner, Financial Times (London, England), p. 10

Ukraine has admitted that it exported 12 cruise missiles to Iran and six to China... Svyatoslav Piskun, Ukraine's prosecutor-general, told the FT that 18 X-55 cruise missiles, also known as Kh-55s or AS-15s, were exported in 2001. None of the missiles was exported with the nuclear warheads they were designed to carry. However, Japan and the US say they are worried by what appears to have been a significant leak of technology from the former Soviet Union's nuclear arsenal. The X-55 has a range of 3,000 km, enough to put Japan within striking range of the Asian continent or to reach Israel from Iran. ... Mr Piskun's admission that Ukraine sold the missiles is the first confirmation by a government official that the exports occurred. The case was made public last month by a member of Ukraine's parliament, whose account Mr Piskun largely confirmed... Ukraine had about 1,000 of the missiles in its arsenal after the break-up of the Soviet Union, about half of which were meant to have been turned over to Russia in the 1990s and the other half of which were supposed to have been destroyed under a US-funded disarmament programme. The previous government arrested and charged a Ukrainian businessman for the exports and initiated a secret trial last year, which was still under way, Mr Piskun said. Two Russian businessmen were suspected of masterminding the sale, Mr Piskun said, one of whom, Oleg Orlov, was arrested last July in Prague in response to a Ukrainian warrant. The Czech justice ministry said it was holding Mr Orlov pending a hearing on Ukraine's extradition request. Olexander Turchinov, new chief of the SBU, has reopened the investigation and has found grounds to suspect two former arms-export officials, Mr Piskun's spokesman said. A spokeswoman for Mr Turchinov confirmed that further investigations and a secret trial were under way in connection with the case... The US embassy in Kiev said it was "closely monitoring" the investigation and wanted the findings of a secret trial made public. ... Kishichiro Amae, Japan's ambassador in Kiev, ... said the new Ukrainian government had shown its readiness to investigate the previous government's misdemeanours when it indicted three high-ranking interior ministry officers this month for the murder in 2000 of journalist Georgy Gongadze. But he said the cruise missile case was more serious. "If it is handled in secrecy, the new government will lose the confidence of the world."

* 2005-03-18: Russia, EU Leaders Reach Agreements
Angela Doland, Guardian

* 2005-03-18: Russia,China to consult over NKorean nuclear problem on March 24
Itar-Tass

* 2005-03-18: Russians Will Not Help Anyone Make Nuclear Weapons Ñ Official
MosNews

* 2005-03-18: Russian Weaponry Supplied to Syria Does Not Threaten Israel
RIA Novosti

* 2005-03-16: Russia to Help Other Countries Guard Nuclear Projects
RIA Novosti

* 2005-03-15: Russian Utility ÔRescued Armenian Nuclear PlantÕ
Baku Today

* 2005-03-14: Norway to sponsor replacement of all nuclear lighthouses in north-west Russia
Bellona

* 2005-03-13: Russian Embassy Rebuffs Remark on NK's Nuclear Capability
Park Song-wu, Korea Times

* 2005-03-11: Russia Ratifies Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage
RIA Novosti

* 2005-03-11: Russia Denies Responsibility for Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster
MosNews

* 2005-03-11: Russia not bearing civil liability for Chernobyl accident
Itar-Tass

* 2005-03-10: North Korea Has No Nuclear Weapons: Russian Official
Yonhap News

* 2005-03-10: Is Russia Preparing a Missile Shield?
RIA Novosti

* 2005-03-10: Shooting at Russian nuclear site Ð one dead
Bellona

* 2005-03-09: US not example for nuclear non-proliferation: Sam Nunn
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News

* 2005-03-08: North tipped Russia over nuclear arms
Choi Won-ki, Joongang Ilbo

* 2005-03-08: Sweden grants Russia 6 million dollars for nuclear safety cooperation
Xinhua News

* 2005-03-07: A Stationary Nuclear Bomb
Yulia Latynina, Novaya Gazeta, March 3, 2005, p. 9 (translated from the Russian by Sergei Kolosov, Agency WPS)

This piece is extremely critical of Russia's decision to supply nuclear fuel to Iran. That GazpromBank will profit seems to be the reason behind the deal, and a poor excuse for a reason it is.
* "It's logical to assume that the ultimate purpose of Iran's nuclear program is of a military nature. And this would imply that Russia, which is suffering the effects of Islamic terrorism in the Caucasus, is also providing a nuclear weapon to a state run by Islamic fundamentalists.
* Secondly, even if we accept the assurances of Iranian state officials that the Bushehr reactor is of an experimental and purely civilian nature, this doesn't change the picture very much at all. Bushehr is the equivalent of a stationary nuclear bomb on the coast of the Persian Gulf. The Bushehr nuclear power plant is located on the Persian Gulf coast. If you look at a map, you'll see that in the event of an explosion at Bushehr, this sparsely-populated area of Iran would suffer much less damage than other oil-producing states in the region.
* Thirdly, the fuel for the Bushehr nuclear power plant will be transported by rail to the Caspian Sea. Trainloads of nuclear fuel could become a tempting target for terrorists in southern Russia.
* Fourthly, the spent nuclear fuel returned to Russia will do nothing to improve Russia's environmental situation.
For these reasons, most analysts have responded with incomprehension to the Russia-Iran deal. It might be assumed that by signing this contract with Iran, Russia is doing the following: a) placing a nuclear weapon in the hands of Islamic fanatics; b) setting up the preconditions for terrorists in the Caucasus or the Middle East to seize a trainload of nuclear materials; c) turning its own territory into a nuclear waste dump."

* 2005-03-07: Iranian, Russian Officials Discuss Completion of Bushehr Plant
MosNews

* 2005-03-06: Iran Regards Positively Cooperation with Russia
RIA Novosti

* 2005-03-05: Norway continues to allocate millions for environmental projects in North-West Russia
Bellona

* 2005-03-05: Russia Refutes Reports of U.S. Inspections at Nuclear Sites
MosNews

* 2005-03-05: Russia comments on Iran-IAEA dispute
Interfax

* 2005-03-05: Tehran is making fuel for atomic warheads
Pravda

* 2005-03-04: Harmonisation of chemical legislation
Gunnar Grini and Marius Dalen, Bellona

* 2005-03-03: Analysis: Uranium Prices On The Rise, But Will Its Deficit Threaten Russia Nuke Market?
Vladislav Nikiforov, Bellona

* 2005-03-03: Diggers found container for radioactive material in Vladivostok
Bellona

* 2005-03-03: Russia's loose nukes
James Holmes, Washington Times

* 2005-03-02: The Great Guessing Game: Russia and the Iranian Nuclear Issue
Vladimir A. Orlov and Alexander Vinnikov, CSIS Washington Quarterly (pdf)

* 2005-03-02: Written Guarantees Key to Ending N.K. Nuke Dispute: Russian Envoy
Kim Hyun, Yonhap News

* 2005-03-02: Ukraine catch man at airport with uranium
Bellona

* 2005-03-02: Duma ratifies nuclear damage convention
Russia Journal

* 2005-03-02: Russia Suggests International Nuclear Project to Conquer Outer Space
MosNews

* 2005-03-01: NRDC: Nuclear Notebook--Russian nuclear forces, 2005
Robert S. Norris and Hans M. Kristensen, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

* 2005-03-01: Russia working on 'defense-proof' nuclear missiles: minister
Agence France Presse/Yahoo! News

* 2005-03-01: US specialists to inspect Russian civil and military nuclear objects
Pravda

* 2005-03-01: Russia Will Not Grant American Inspectors Access to Nuclear Sites
RIA Novosti

* 2005-03-01: Iran, Russia ink deal for Bushehr fuel that includes SNF return, but West still jittery
Charles Digges, Bellona

December 25, 2004

Russia - 1,500-MW will be new standard n-plant size after 2007

Russia will be building only VVER-1,500 units at nuclear power plants after the year 2007, head of the Federal Atomic Energy Agency Alexander Rumyantsev said at a Friday press conference. "Blueprints of such units will be ready by 2007," he said. Construction of units with the capacity of 1,500 megawatt "is more advantageous economically and better than the construction of VVER-1,000 reactors," he said.

[Source: ITAR-TASS, Russia to build only VVER-1,500 reactors after 2007 - Rumyantsev, December 24, 2004 18:30]

Russian submarine reactor decommissioning progress in 2004

The reactor compartments of 17 nuclear-powered submarines were scrapped in 2004 and prepared for temporary storage afloat. "There were 12 convoys in 2004 to transport processed nuclear fuel removed from scrapped submarines to the Mayak enterprise... Two nuclear technology service ships were prepared this year as temporary floating storages".

[Source: Aleksandr Rumyantsev (head of Russia's Federal Atomic Energy Agency), comments at news conference, cited and quoted by ITAR-TASS news agency, "Russian nuclear chief reports on sub scrapping, hails business with Ukraine", December 24, 2004 1434 gmt (translated from the Russian by BBC Monitoring)]

Russia - cleanup of onshore site progress in northwest

As part of an ongoing plan for rehabilitation of onshore installations posing a radiation hazard in northwestern Russia, the Zvezda and Zvezdochka factories have reprocessed 874 cubic metres of liquid radioactive waste and 1,588 tonnes of solid radioactive waste that have been placed in temporary storage.

[Source: Aleksandr Rumyantsev (head of Russia's Federal Atomic Energy Agency), comments at news conference, cited and quoted by ITAR-TASS news agency, "Russian nuclear chief reports on sub scrapping, hails business with Ukraine", December 24, 2004 1434 gmt (translated from the Russian by BBC Monitoring)]

Ukraine is strongest partner of Russia's nuclear industry

Ukraine is the Russian nuclear industry's "strongest and most effective" partner. "Russia currently supplies fuel to all four nuclear power stations in Ukraine, and we collect the spent fuel for storage and reprocessing in Russia. The Kharkiv turbine factory will soon start supplying turbines for our nuclear power stations. And we buy zirconium from Ukraine, which we need for our enterprises, and we will expand this cooperation."

[Source: Aleksandr Rumyantsev (head of Russia's Federal Atomic Energy Agency), comments at news conference, cited and quoted by ITAR-TASS news agency, "Russian nuclear chief reports on sub scrapping, hails business with Ukraine", December 24, 2004 1434 gmt (translated from the Russian by BBC Monitoring)]

November 19, 2004

Russia - UK contributed a dry cask storage facility, for spent fuel from submarines, at Atomflot

A long-term storage facility for spent nuclear fuel has been built at the submarine repair plant Atomflot in Murmansk, Russia. Construction was completely funded by the UK, as a project to reduce radiation hazard on the Kola Peninsula. The facility is designed to use dry storage technology, which is more reliable and economical than the previous practice of storage at floating technical bases with water protection. British Ambassador to Russia Anthony Brenton attended the presentation of the new facility Friday. He said the implementation of this project was a major step toward the reduction of radiation danger and convincing confirmation of strengthening cooperation between the two countries. The US and Norway earlier took part in similar ecological projects at Atomfot.

[Source: Vasily Belousov, "British-funded nuclear fuel storage facility built in Russia", TASS, November 19, 2004 7:50 am ET]

November 5, 2004

Russia - disquiet and rumors abound about Balakovo event

Ekho Moskvy radio correspondent in Saratov, Pavel Kraynev, reports that the residents of Saratov and neighbouring cities are alarmed about events at the Balakovo nuclear power station BAES, located on the banks of the Saratov reservoir stretch of the Volga between Samara and Saratov. Correspondent Kraynev said "Since early Friday morning 5 November Saratov has been full of rumours that something more than a fouling of sensors has happened at BAES. The rumours have come from various sources. However, their content was roughly the same - there has been an explosion at the nuclear station, residents of the region would do well to stay at home today, drink half a glass of iodine and not panic. In the space of an hour our radio station received several calls from worried listeners. Then rumours of a different nature emerged. There has been a discharge of radiation, at the very least, from BAES. Panic has started in Penza Region. The wind is blowing in that direction and, therefore, the cloud must head that way. Here in the regional centre we tried to find out by telephone what is happening in Balakovo. Residents confirmed that there was disquiet in the town yesterday. People were being rounded up in the streets and even being given tablets. However, in reality all this was an exercise."

Today, Ekho Moskvy radio has also received messages by pager from residents of Saratov Region. According to RIA-Novosti, residents of Saransk capital of Mordovia are buying up large quantities of iodine-containing medicine from pharmacies. The four central pharmacies have run out of stocks of iodine and even expensive medicines containing it. According to unconfirmed reports, servicemen at strategic installations in Saratov Region have been advised to drink five drops of iodine dissolved in a glass of water and also a glass of red wine...

The incident at BAES illustrates the fact that there is absolutely no system for warning and evacuating the public in the event of an accident, the coordinator of Greenpeace's anti-nuclear programme, Vladimir Chuprov, told our radio station: "The Federal Agency for Atomic Energy and the nuclear industry do not have a proper system for protecting the public during emergencies connected with nuclear and radiation accidents. Furthermore, there is no system for warning the public. This results in panic, which makes it significantly harder to carry out measures to protect the public. There has still not been any information about what happened and what the public should do. Neither the head of administration nor any representative of the authorities in Saratov Region and Balakovo have yet addressed the public and explained what has happened, what people should do and what they should not do. The example of Balakovo shows that infrastructure is still lacking. For example, 70,000 inhabitants of Balakovo still live on the island part of the town. In the event of an accident, you would simply not be able to evacuate them by the bridge there is at the moment."

[Source: Ekho Moskvy radio, Moscow, "Worried residents do not believe reassurances about Russian nuclear plant", November 5, 2004 1000 gmt (translated from the Russian by BBC Monitoring; subscription required)]

Russia - rumors prompting iodine run in Saransk are false; Balakovo plant did not have accident

The AES No 2 power generating unit at Balakovo, which was shut down on Thursday, will be restarted on Saturday, the official spokesman of Rosatom Federal Agency for Atomic Energy, Nikolay Shingarev, told RIA-Novosti on Friday. "A pipe regulating the level of water in the steam generators sustained minor damage and, as a result, water got into silicon joints of sensors which regulate the flow of turbo-feed pumps. The level in the steam generator fell as a result of this. This led to a switching off of the water pumps and the automatic shutdown of the reactor," Shingarev said. "There are no radiation consequences. There have been no discharges," he stressed. The No 2 power generating unit at the Balakovo AES was shut down at 0124 hours Moscow time on Thursday 2224 gmt on 3 November when the unit's emergency protection system was triggered. The official spokesman of Rosatom denied rumours there had been explosions at the AES. "There were no explosions," Shingarev said. Commenting on reports that many residents of Saransk the capital of Mordovia are buying up iodine - which doctors recommend as an antidote to radiation - from pharmacies, Shingarev said: "There is no need to drink iodine. There is no threat to health." The station is situated on the banks of the Saratov water reservoir, about 900 km from Moscow.

[Sources: RIA news agency, Moscow, "No explosions at nuclear plant, no need to take iodine, Russian regulator says", November 5, 2004 0917 gmt; and and Ekho Moskvy radio, Moscow, "Radiation at Russian nuclear plant after incident is normal - chief engineer", November 5, 2004 0700 gmt (translated from the Russian by BBC Monitoring; subscription required)]

Russia - two iodine overdoses amongst scared public near Balakovo plant

Unnecessary consumption of iodine in Saratov following an incident at the Balakovo nuclear power station AES has resulted in people poisoning themselves. "Two instances of overdosing on iodine tablets were recorded in Balakovo today," Saratov Region's deputy emergencies minister Valeriy Sarayev told RIA-Novosti. Sarayev said the public had begun buying up large quantities of iodine from pharmacies in the city in spite of assurances that the shutdown of a generating unit at the Balakovo AES is a normal occurrence. There have also been reports of mass purchasing of iodine in Saransk the capital of Mordovia. Sarayev stressed that "There has been absolutely no increase in background radiation, let alone toxic discharges. The incident at the Balakovo AES rates at zero on the international scale for measuring emergencies at nuclear power stations."

[Source: RIA news agency, Moscow, "Russians panicked by scare at nuclear plant overdose on iodine", November 5, 2004 0937 gmt (translated from the Russian by BBC Monitoring; subscription required)]

May 24, 2004

* France and Russia's nuclear R&D cooperation - reprocessing, uranium defluorination, VVER-1500 reactor, fusion

* Fusion - Russia backs French location for ITER

May 20, 2004

* Russia wants to provide fuel for Bulgaria's planned Belene plant

May 15, 2004

Canada to contribute to Russian sub cleanup and other WMD/material controls

Canada is on the verge of finalizing its role in the so-called Ten Plus Ten over Ten plan to to help Russia enhance nuclear security and eliminate weapons of mass destruction. A bilateral agreement between Canada and Russia will disperse up to a billion dollars (Canadian) over a period of ten years. The funds will be used for specified projects such as the disposal of defunct submarines and the construction of a chemical weapons elimination facility at Shchuchye, in the Kurgan Region. After meetings in Ottawa, Russia's first Deputy Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Trubnikov said "For the Canadian side this is a specific sphere in which to apply financial resources which Russia will be using to eliminate articles and facilities that might pose a threat to it. With Canada we shall be cooperating actively in the Northwestern and Arctic regions, that is, in our common vital space, including ecological space." The Ten plus Ten plan name refers to the USA providing $10-billion, plus another $10-billion from EU/Canada/Japan under the G8's 2002-vintage Global Partnership against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction.

Source: Boris Grushin (TASS), "Russia, Canada to sign weapons of mass destruction elimination agt", TASS, May 14, 2004

April 15, 2004

* The what-ifs of nuclear terrorism

* Nuclear terrorism - vulnerability to hackers

* Nuclear terrorism - "greedy insider" factor quadruples risk

* Nuclear terrorism - how many sites could withstand assault by 41 like took Moscow theater?

* Nuclear terrorism - could terrorists use an n-weapon if they seized one?

March 24, 2004

* Russian Navy in disrepair, although recent oil revenues have allowed attention to problems

March 23, 2004

* Floating nuclear plant - Rosenergoatom to devote 30-million ruples this year to Sino-Russia project

* Fast-neutron reactors like BN-800 can solve waste problem and provide new fuel

March 9, 2004

Russia - Putin breaks up Minatom; Energy and Defense Ministries will take over

As part of a restructuring of the executive branch of Russia's government, the cabinet-level ministry Minatom has been abolished. Defense-related nuclear activities will become the responsibility of Defense Ministry. Non-defense nuclear activities will be split amongst organizations within the Ministry of Industry and Energy. The formerly independent federal nuclear regulatory agency Gosatomnadzor will now be part of the Ministry of Industry and Energy. Minatom was a huge organization, employing about a million people. Details of the split have not been formalized. For example, it is not clear which ministry will be responsible for clean-up of former defense sites. Industry newsletter Platts Nuclear Fuel reports that some meetings between US and Russian officials have been cancelled as the organizational issues get sorted out. Former Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev will head the new civilian Federal Atomic Energy Agency within the Ministry of Industry and Energy.

[Refs: Ann MacLachlan (Platts-Paris) and Michael Knapik (Platts-Washington), "Putin eliminates Minatom in shake-up of Russian government", Nuclear Fuel, v29 n6, March 15, 2004, p. 1; Charles Digges (Bellona), "Details of MinatomÕs dismantlement becoming clearer", Bellona.com, March 30, 2004; and Gabrielle Kohlmeier, "Putin Downsizes Russian Nuclear Agency", Arms Control Today, April 2004]

January 15, 2004

Russia - old EGP-6 model "heating plant" license extended for 15 more years (Bilibino-1)

The first power unit at Bilibino nuclear power station in northeastern Siberia was commissioned 30 years ago. Gosatomnadzor (the Russian State Committee for Supervision over the Safety of Work in Nuclear Power Engineering) has given the Rosenergoatom concern permission to extend the service life of this power unit for another 15 years. The four units at this site are all rather small (12 MW capacity each). They are early versions of Soviet graphite-moderated designs. Bilibino is Russia's only nucear powered "heating plant" -- it provides hot water central heating for the area via a 3.5-kilometer run of pipe. The plant also has a power turbine. It was reported at Rosenergoatom reports that the cost of the electricity produced by this nuclear power station is "two or three times lower than that of the electricity produced by other power stations in Chukotka."

[Ref: ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow, "Russian power inspectorate extends Bilibino reactor's service life", January 15, 2004 1217 gmt (translated from the Russian by BBC Monitoring)]

December 13, 2003

Novovoronezh-5 - oil seepage from equipment caused small fire and turbine shutdown

One of the two power-generating turbines at Novovoronezh-5 has been stopped because of the inflammation of a ball bearing. According to preliminary data, a fire last night was caused by the seepage of oil into the heat insulator. The shift on duty extinguished fire on their own before the arrival of firemen. Units 3 and 4 continue to run at full power.

[Source: Radio Russia, Moscow, "Fire incident halts power unit at Russian nuclear plant", December 13, 2003 0800 gmt (translated from the Russian by BBC Monitoring)]

October 31, 2003

Overview of Russia's reactor program

The most important advanced design to come out of Russia is the molten lead and lead-bismuth-cooled fast reactor. Owing to the coolant's high boiling temperature and inertness, they claim it excludes severe accidents. Based on 80 reactor years' experience in eight nuclear submarines and two ground operations, Russia has developed a small, pool-type, multipurpose, Russian lead-bismuthcooled 75/100 MWe SVBR reactor design. The coolants' natural circulation is sufficient to ensure the reactor's decay heat removal without overheating the core. The design can accommodate different kinds of fuel (UO^sub 2,^ mixed oxide (MOX), nitride fuel). The reactor can be fabricated in the factory and delivered to the site in practical readiness condition. It could be operated for eight to ten years and returned to the supplier country with the core in the frozen coolant state.

Because of resource limitations, lead is being considered for large reactors, known as Brest reactors. Three hundred MWe and a 1,200 MWe designs have been developed that would use mononitride fuel. Russia plans to build a Brest-300 demonstration plant in Beloyarsk. Current issues for these reactors relate primarily to the problems of coolant technology and structural materials corrosion.

Russia has extensive experience running sodium-cooled fast reactors, and it is planning to build a Russian fast breeder, the BN-800, by 2010, which will use MOX fuel and burn plutonium. Their ultimate plan is to switch over to nitride fuels. They also have several new small sodium-cooled and water reactor designs for heating and cogeneration, including a 35MWe floating nuclear power plant they plan to build for electricity and water desalination.

[Source: Dr. Debu Majumdar (DOE-senior nuclear advisor, Idaho Operations Office), "Advanced reactors around the world", Nuclear Plant Journal, v21 n5, Sep/Oct 2003, p. 21]

August 4, 2003

Russia - nuclear-generated electricity cheaper by 12% than coal, oil and gas

The July 2003 figures from Rosenergoatom were reported today by RIA OREANDA, the Russian Information Agency. Nuclear production there was up 10.3% compared to last July. Keep an eye on the English version Rosenergoatom press release page over coming days to see fuller story.

August 1, 2003 CANCER MORTALITY: Researchers assess cancer mortality risk of workers at the Mayak nuclear complex
Cancer Weekly,ÊAugust 5, 2003,Êp. 33 (subscription required)
This article is pretty much a cut-and-paste of the abstract of journal article from June 2003 issue of Radiation Research (Shilnikova et al., Cancer Mortality Risk among Workers at the Mayak Nuclear Complex, Radiation Research 159(6):787Ð798, 2003). It provides some risk values from review of dose and death records for those of a cohort of about 21,500 men and women who began working at Mayak between 1948-1972. The study follow-up period was through 1997. The abstract notes that better risk values will result from improved dose reconstruction. The full paper is available online at National Cancer Insitute site. Very interesting paper. Individual respirators weren't used by Mayak workers until 1956. A systematic program for monitoring workersÕ plutonium exposures began in 1970. Despite the dosimetric weaknesses of this study group, the researchers are quite enthusistic about this cohort. The large female component (about 25%) is pretty rare among relatively high exposure occupational cohorts. The percentages of the workforce that have been followed for a long time is also exceptionally high, with only some 10% of the cohort lost to followup so far. Of those who have died, cause of death is known for 97% (again a quite high percentage).

The risk numbers in this paper are very similar, but a bit lower than, the numbers coming out of the a-bomb survivors research. The increase in an individual's risk appears to be greatest, by far, within 3-5 years after exposure. The authors seem pretty convinced that asbestos was not a significant hazard at Mayak, so the number of mesothelioma cases prompts their suggestion that the link be further researched to see if, say, plutonium may play a role in the etiology of mesothelioma.

July 23, 2003

Russia floating nuclear plant -- on your mark, ready, set, ... set, ... set ... Russian company Rosenergoatom may get financing from China to construct a floating nuclear plant to built at Severodvinsk shipyard. China could finance from half to all of the US$145 million construction. The company is bullish on the prospects for floating plants, because they could claim a large share of the fast-growing global desalination market. Their mobility would allow them to provide fresh water and electricity to coastal areas in Asia and Africa. Associated Press cites a company insider, who asked to remain anonymous, as saying that Chinese officials have offered a loan for the project. China may build the barges used for the plants. If the first plant turns out to be safely operated, China may be interested in joining in more such deals. There have been many "green lights" announced for Russia's floating nuclear plant project recently, but construction has not yet begun.

[Ref: Associated Press, "Russia, China may cooperate in building floating nuclear power plants", The Russia Journal, July 23, 2003 11:59 GMT]

July 14, 2003

Russia's top nuclear regulator's forced retirement

After 11 years as head of "Russia's NRC" -- Gosatomnadzor -- Yury Vishnevsky has been forced to retire. He "at times made the [US] NRC look wishy-washy", says former Moscow Times editor Matt Bivens, citing "Vishnevsky was largely alone in speaking out against Kremlin-backed plans to import the world's nuclear waste for cash. This year Vishnevsky even pulled the operating license for the Mayak nuclear fuel facility over serious concerns about pollution."

[Source: Matt Bivens (Daily Outrage columnist at thenation.com), "Nuclear Deregulation", The Moscow Times, July 14, 2003, p. 8]

July 1, 2003

* Iran - Russia again promises not to send fuel for Bushehr without guarantee it'll be returned to Russia

June 27, 2003

* Iran - contrast USA's encouragement for democratic reforms and reluctance to trade with UN's praise for the Islamo-fascists and EU & Russia's putting profits first and not wanting to rock the boat

June 21, 2003

* Russia expects more n-plants through 2020

June 3, 2003

* Iran must remove doubts about NPT compliance before June 16 IAEA board meeting, sez Russian G-8 delegate

May 28, 2003

Russia shifts: Iran told 'No NPT+, no Bushehr fuel'

Russia has apparently told Iran that the only way they'll get fuel for the Bushehr plant is if Iran agrees to the additional protocol with the International Atomic Energy Agency. The timing of the leaked information is speculated to be related to next Sunday's St. Petersburg summit between presidents Putin and Bush. The fuel was scheduled to be delivered this year. Russia's foreign ministry issued a more polite statement saying it had asked Iran to provide guarantees that it was not using the nuclear program as a cover to develop weapons.

[Source: Guy Dinmore (FT Washington correspondent), "Russia presses Iran over nuclear inspections", Financial Times, May 28, 2003, p. 1 (subscription required)]

May 19, 2003

RT-1 reprocessing plant at Mayak operates at 20-25% of capacity of 400 metric tons/yr. [Source: Bellona, Bulgaria to ship 20 tons spent nuclear fuel to Mayak plant, May 19, 2003]

Bulgaria to ship 20 tons of spent fuel to Russia

The Mayak reprocessing plant is the destination for a planned rail shipment of spent fuel from Kozloduy plant. None of the fuel will be reprocessed for three years yet. Much of it is not expected to be reprocessed at all, but is slated for long term storage. [Source: Bellona, Bulgaria to ship 20 tons spent nuclear fuel to Mayak plant, May 19, 2003]

* 2000 - In preparing the UNSCEAR 2000 report on "Sources and Effects of Ionizing Radiation", the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation sent every member nation a Survey of Exposures, asking expert quantification of the radiation exposures to populations in that nation from natural radiation sources. The respondent for Russian Federation was M.N. Savkin (Institute of Biophysics, State Research Center, Moscow).

* Russia 1998

[Source: Nuclear Energy Agency (2000), as presented by THE ECONOMIC FUTURE OF NUCLEAR POWER: A Study Conducted at The University of Chicago, August 2004, p. 2-5]