Russia withdraws large quantities of uranium from Germany

This morning, Russia brought 326 kg of purified uranium out of a Soviet-era reactor in eastern Germany. The amount of uranium transported to Russia on a specialized vehicle can ensure radiation safety even when dropped.

Udo Herwig, director of Rossendorf Nuclear Research Center, where 326 kg of uranium is stored and prepared for the said transport, said the destination of the radioactive material is a processing center at Podolsk, Russia.

German police take care of the transport of uranium from the Rossendorf center deep in the forest to Dresden airport. This police spokesman Thomas Herbst announced that about 500 police officers and many plainclothes security officers were mobilized for this special campaign.

The truck was carrying uranium into the cargo plane Ilyushin IL-76 at Dresden airport early this morning.( Photo: Reuters)

The police car fleet of about 40 vehicles escorted a dedicated truck carrying 326 kg of uranium on a 10 km long road to the airport. At Dresden airport, this amount of radioactive material was put on a Russian aircraft carrying the brand Ilyushin IL-76.

To ensure safety, the German security forces organized a second convoy to distract. But a group of anti-nuclear protesters, about 20 to 30 people, blocked the uranium convoy to protest, forcing the convoy to stop for a moment and run to another road.

German police car escorted the truck to the foot of the flight of stairs.(Photo: Reuters)

Experts say that about two-thirds of the uranium has been refined at high levels. According to calculations, if they are enriched at a satisfactory level they can provide fuel for a few atomic bombs. One third of the 326 kg of uranium remaining is only refined at low levels.

Rossendorf Research Center director said that all safety options during transportation were taken into account. According to him, even in the worst case of an aircraft crashing, the amount of uranium still guaranteed will not harm the environment.

Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the US National Nuclear Security Administration are also on hand to help Russia transport uranium out of Germany. Upon returning to Russia, these uranium will be processed to reduce the level of purification to eliminate the risks.

Rossendorf Research Center was built by the Soviet Union in East Germany before. The reactor here was closed after the reunification of Germany in 1990, but the Rossendorf center is still an important high-tech scientific research site.

A Russian Ilyushin IL-76.(Photo: Airliners)

The transfer of uranium from Germany to Russia is part of a joint US-Russia cooperation program called the Global Risk Reduction Initiative (GTRI). This program aims to find, secure and recover dangerous nuclear materials around the world to prevent them from falling into the hands of terrorists.

According to US data, since the launch of the GTRI program in 2004 there have been more than 400 sensitive locations around the world, where there is enough radioactive material to produce 6,000 "dirty" bombs, Safety is guaranteed.

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