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Scientists: Moscow financial crisis jars nuclear security
Researchers worry about institute in Moscow
January 31, 1997
Web posted at: 3:00 p.m. EST (2000 GMT)
From Moscow Bureau Chief Eileen O'Connor
MOSCOW (CNN) -- New signs are emerging that Russia's nuclear arsenal may not be as secure as the world had hoped.
CNN has obtained letters from Russia's top nuclear research center warning of potentially disastrous developments if the country's current economic crisis continues.
The letters, written by scientists from Moscow's Kurchatov Institute, warn that if Russia's financial crisis deepens, they cannot guarantee the safety of the nuclear facility or of its nuclear stockpiles. The scientists are among the government workers who have not been paid for months.
The letters note that while the amount of radioactive material at the Kurchatov Institute is only one-tenth that of Chernobyl, the potential effects could be more lethal, given the institute's location in the heart of Moscow.
"We are located in the middle of the city. God forbid something bad happens here that will affect the whole city's population. So nuclear safety is our top priority," said Nikolai Ponomaryov-Stepnoi, the institute's deputy director.
No money for worn equipment
The letters also warn of potential breakdowns in worn equipment such as a water filtration system that helps cool the reactors and which has not been worked on in 20 years.
The Kurchatov Institute has received less than 9 percent of its 1996 budget allocation from the Russian government, not enough to carry out much-needed fixes.
The scientists say they can guarantee safety for now.
"If we are talking about today, we can guarantee that," said Ponomaryov-Stepnoi, but he said it is hard to say when that guarantee will expire.
Last week, scientists at Kurchatov were promised one month of the four months of salary they are owed, but they have yet to see even that.
Related story:
- Chernobyl: Legacy of a Meltdown - April 4, 1996
Related sites:
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- Russian Research Centre Kurchatov Institute, Moscow
- Nuclear Safety Institute Russian Research Center ``Kurchatov Institute''
- Index of Data Bases
- Chernobyl and its consequences
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