NIS Nuclear Trafficking Database

The Newly Independent States (NIS) Nuclear Trafficking Abstracts Database includes cases and reported incidents of trafficking in nuclear and radioactive materials in and from the NIS. The database also features trafficking incident tables and summaries and analysis of relevant articles and reports.

Researchers at the Center for Nonproliferation at the Monterey Institute of International Studies have been compiling this information since 1991 from hundreds of foreign and domestic news sources as well as from field reports.

These abstracts are taken from open press sources and unclassified government documents and are presented on an as-reported basis. The Center for Nonproliferation Studies cannot vouch for the accuracy or veracity of these reports, nor can it verify reported facts in the abstracts.

Abstracts:

Click on the year to view reported thefts and seizures:

2008

23 September 2008 Update:

Reported thefts and seizures:

1 September 2008: Moldova-bound train with radioactive cargo passes through Kazakh borders undetected
9 September 2008: Three individuals arrested for smuggling depleted uranium from Kyrgyzstan to China
17 July 2008: Individual from Uzbekistan accused of attempted tantalum smuggling from Russia to Iran
19 June 2008: Radiation sources discovered in Vladivostok port
17 June 2008: Magnitogorsk customs officials detain vehicle with radioactive turn indicator
6 June 2008: Vehicle with radioactive potassium cyanide detained at Russo-Ukrainian border
30 May 2008: Ukrainian law enforcement officials arrest smugglers of radioactive scrap metal
27 May 2008: Latvia-bound train with radioactive cargo detained on Russo-Kazakh border
21 April 2008: Truck with radioactive medical isotopes detained at Ukraine-Moldova border
14 March 2008: Truck with radioactive sand detained at Belarusian-Polish border
11 March 2008: Kazakh customs detain consignment of tantalum concentrate transported by aircraft from the United Arab Emirate
28 February 2008: Almaty court sentences two individuals to two years in prison for reported attempted sale of uranium
28 January 2008: Individual suspected of financing nuclear trafficking arrested in Russia
10 January 2008: Kyrgyz train with radioactive metal scrap en route to Iran detained in Uzbekistan
27 December 2007: Trial of uranium rod thieves to begin in Udmurtia
8 December 2007: Belarusian owner of cesium-contaminated mushrooms located
29 November 2007: Ukrainian police seizes mercury and cesium-137 from individual
13 November 2007: Belarusian customs officials detain trucks with elevated radiation cargo
8 November 2007: Kola peninsula-bound railway car with radioactive shipment detained in Murmansk
24 September 2007: Ukrainian security service detains radioactive parcel at Zhulyany airport

Past trafficking cases updated:

8 July 2008: Ukrainian police arrest suspected sellers of cesium and uranium
22 April 2007: Two Belarus residents detained in Lithuania on suspicion of smuggling radioactive cargo

Other items of note:

8 September 2008: Paper analyzing the 2003 and 2006 HEU Seizures in Georgia [PDF] by Elena Sokova and William Potter released in Proceedings of IAEA 2007 Conference on Illicit Trafficking. (link also added to Additional Resources)
8 September 2008: IAEA releases Proceedings of an International Conference Illicit Nuclear Trafficking: Collective Experience and the Way Forward [PDF], held in Edinburgh, 19-22 November 2007. (about the Conference, link also added to Additional Resources)
23 August 2008: Julian Borger, " The Time Bomb," The Guardian. (article discusses Global Threat Reduction Initiative efforts to remove HEU)
16 August 2008: Michael Bronner, "When the War Ends, Start to Worry," New York Times. (see Bronner’s report in items of note in July 2008 update)
15 August 2008: U.S. and Kyrgyzstan cooperate to prevent smuggling of nuclear and radioactive material, NNSA release. (GSN story, also see Second Line of Defense in Securing the Bomb)
23 July 2008: Norway to fund NNSA’s Second Line of Defense efforts in Kazakhstan, NNSA release. (also see Second Line of Defense in Securing the Bomb)
21 January 2008: Russian experts concerned about terrorist access to uranium mines in Central Asia. (also see Yuriy Zaitsev, "Preventing Nuclear Terrorism Worldwide," RIA Novosti.)

16 July 2008 Update:

Reported thefts and seizures:

8 July 2008: Ukrainian police arrest suspected sellers of cesium and uranium
1-8 July 2008: Kazakh customs officials detain vehicles with radioactive cargo on Russian-Kazakh border
5 June 2008: Belarusian customs say they’ve stopped 10 vehicles with radioactive cargo since beginning of year
23 May 2008: Kazakh customs detain Germany-bound lorry with radioactive material
24 January 2008: Four Russians sentenced for smuggling radioactive sources across the Russian-Kazakh border
31 December 2007: Radioactive source is found in Kyrgyz scrap metal shipment to Iran [expanded story by Alexander Melikishvili]
21 December 2007: Russia’s Federal Customs Service releases trafficking statistics
28 November 2007: Uranium seized at Slovak-Hungarian border crossing [includes expanded story link]
27 November 2007: Three cases of radioactive metal scrap are uncovered in Russia
2 November 2007: Cesium-137 seized in Zugdidi, Western Georgia [expanded story by Alexander Melikishvili]
24 October 2007: Rare transuranic element Lawrencium seized at the Georgian-Turkish border [expanded story by Alexander Melikishvili]
29 July 2007: Potentially radioactive orphan sources found at a construction site in Arkhangelsk, Russia
5 June 2007: Ampoules labeled Cesium-133 uncovered in water well in Kazakhstan

Other items of note:

15 July 2008: U.S. and Armenia conclude joint action plan on nuclear smuggling, Department of State release (GSN story)
July 2008: Significant progress made on removal of Soviet-origin HEU (link to NTI’s Civil HEU Reduction and Elimination Database also added to Additional Resources)
2 July 2008: NNSA achieves major milestone in project to thwart nuclear smuggling in Kazakhstan, NNSA release
17 June 2008: Fourth meeting of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism takes place in Madrid, Spain, Department of State release
11 June 2008: U.S.-Russian cooperation on illicit trafficking marks a ten year milestone, NNSA release (also see Second Line of Defense in Securing the Bomb)
June 2008: Michael Bronner, " 100 Grams (and Counting...): Notes from the Nuclear Underworld," Managing the Atom Project, Harvard University.
April 2008: Azerbaijani customs halt Russian cargo bound for Iran's Bushehr power plant. (GSN stories: April 23, April 25, April 28)
April 2008: Lawrence Scott Sheets, " A Smuggler’s Story," Atlantic Monthly (story provides details on seizure of highly enriched uranium in Georgia in 2006).
28 January 2008: IAEA issues guide on combating illicit trafficking in nuclear and other radioactive materials (PDF of IAEA Guidance, GSN story, link also added to Additional Resources)
6 November 2007: U.S. and Russia jointly conduct field training for radiological emergency response, NNSA release (GSN story)

2007

21 November 2007 Update:

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

30 October 2007: Containers with Radioactive Cargo Detained in Vladivostok
22 October 2007: Parcel with Object Covered with Radium-266 Discovered in Vladivostok
15 October 2007: Railroad Car with Radioactive Ore Detained on Ukrainian-Hungarian Border
12 October 2007: Four Sellers of Osmium-187 Detained in Moscow Suburb
28 September 2007: Radioactive Source Uncovered at a Scrap Metal Receiving Station in Ufa
7 September 2007: Belarusian Customs Seize Radioactive Cargo Bound for Russia
27 August 2007: Americium-241 Seizure in Dimitrovgrad
13 April 2007: Individual Selling Osmium Tetroxide Apprehended in Moscow Suburb
27 February 2007: Radioactive Isotope Unit Discovered in Krasnodar Region

Other items in this release:

30 October 2007: Radiation Detection Equipment Installed at the Armenian-Iranian Border
30 September 2007: United States and Kyrgyz Republic Cooperate in Combating Nuclear Smuggling
19 September 2007: Energoatom Officials Suspected of Smuggling NPP Parts from Russia to Ukraine

11 September 2007 Update:

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

29 June 2007: Radioactive Capsule Discovered in Kazakhstan
15 June 2007: Georgian Authorities Thwart Attempt to Transport Plutonium from Azerbaijan to Georgia
5 June 2007: Radioactive Container Discovered in Stavropol Kray
8 May 2007: Eight Men Face Criminal Prosecution in Tajikistan for Attempted Sale of Plutonium-Beryllium Source
15 May 2007: Orphan Container with Plutonium Found in Smolensk Oblast
7 May 2007: Highly Radioactive Items Discovered in Togliatti
22 April 2007: Two Belarus Residents Detained in Lithuania on Suspicion of Smuggling Radioactive Cargo
11 May 2006: Uzbek Customs Officials Detain Two Radioactive Cargos from Kazakhstan

Other items in this release:

26 June 2007 Update:

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

16 June 2007: Cesium Seizure in Kazakhstan
17 May 2007: Radioactive Parcel Found at Sheremetyevo-I
15 January 2007: HEU Seized in Georgia
13 November 2006: Kazakh Customs Detains Man with Cesium-137

Other items in this release:

21 May 2007: New Radiation Detection Checkpoint in Ukraine
13 March 2007: GAO Report on Securing Radioactive Materials
18 December 2006: Nearly 600 Pounds of Highly Enriched Uranium Returned to Russia from Germany

9 January 2007 Update:

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

23 October 2006: Radioactive Metal Seized in Rostov-on-Don, Russia
21 September 2006: Vandalized RTGs found near Norilsk, Krasnoyarsk region, Russia
27 July 2006: Radioactive Sources Recovered in Georgia
11 May 2006: Contaminated Materials Seized in Uzbekistan
5 February 2006: Georgian Uranium Seizure Allegations

Other items in this release:

27 September 2006: IAEA Releases New Statistics on Illicit Trafficking and Other Unauthorized Activities involving Nuclear and Radioactive Materials
10 August 2006: HEU Removed from Poland
3 August 2006: High-Activity Radioactive Materials Secretly Removed from Chechen Site
27 July 2006: HEU Fuel Returned to Russia from Libya
May 2006: Incidents Involving Radioactive Materials in Russia, February-April 2006

2006

30 June 2006 Update:

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

20 April 2006: Ukrainians Tried to Smuggle Military Equipment to Poland
13 April 2006: Machine Building Plant Employee Tried to Sell Low-Enriched Uranium
24 March 2006: Neutron Radiation Source Detected in the Port of Vladivostok
21 February 2006: A Radioactive Truck Detained in the Entry to the Port of Vladivostok
10 February 2006: Radioactive Cargo with Semi-precious Stone Charoit Seized in Belarus
7 February 2006: Radioactive Cargo Stopped at the Border
3 February 2006: Unidentified Number of Radioactive Sources Still Missing in Chechnya
31 January 2006: Powerful Radioactive Source Found in the Port of Vladivostok
25 November 2005: A Container with 50kg of Radioactive Waste Found in Samara Oblast
14 October 2005: Radioactive Containers Found in Crimea

8 February 2006 Update:

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

23 December 2005: Con Artists Peddling "Uranium" Arrested in Yaroslavl, Russia
21 November 2005: Cesium-137 Found in Petrozavodsk, Russia
10 November 2005: Radioactive Scrap Seized in Magadan, Russia
8 November 2005: Capsules of Plutonium-239, Cesium-137 Recovered in Blagoveshchensk, Russia
18 October 2005: Cesium-137 Found in Borisov, Belarus
28 September 2005: Radioactive Material Found at Chornobyl NP P, Ukraine
16 August 2005: Turkey Seizes LEU
25 June 2005: Strontium-90 Seized in Kherson Oblast, Ukraine

Other items in this release:

6 January 2006: Letter from US Senators Lugar and Obama to Secretary Rice
21 December 2005: U.S., Georgia Sign Countersmuggling Cooperation Agreement
17 December 2005: Ministry of Defense Official Says No Attempts Made To Enter Russia’s Nuclear Weapons Storage Facilities in Recent Years
14 December 2005: Russia TV Reports on Black Market of Radioactive Materials
10 October 2005: Kyrgyz Authorities Secure 1,000 Radiation Sources
27 September 2005: Latest Nuclear Trafficking Statistics Released
27 September 2005: Fresh HEU Fuel Returned to Russia from Czech Republic

2005

15 August 2005 Update:

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

8 May 2005: "Dirty Bomb" Rocket Again Reported for Sale in Transnistria
21 April 2005: Radioactive Scrap Metal Seized in Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia
15 March 2005: Armenian Arms Trafficker Claims to Have Access to Enriched Uranium
2 March 2005: Uranium Seized at Kyiv Airport
2 March 2005: Empty Container for Radiation Source found in Vladivostok, Russia
11 February 2005: Radioactive Mercury Reported Seized in Kyrgyzstan
29 January 2005: Radioactive Material Denied Entry to Russia at Customs Post in Sochi

Other items in this release:

8 July 2005: Georgia Reports New Nuclear Smuggling Incidents
13 May 2005: Russia, Kazakhstan, Agree to Step Up Cooperation on Border Protection
16 March 2005: Rosatom Head Claims No Fissile Material Stolen from Russian Facilities
12 March 2005: Korean Businessman Charged with Illegal Import of Radioactive Material into Russia
4 May 2005: Russian Customs Intercepts 200 Radioactive Cargoes in Far East from 1995-2005
10 February 2005: Russian Officials Says No Uranium Stolen from Rosatom Facilities
8 February 2005: Boris Berezovsky Claims Chechen Fighters Have "Nuclear Suitcase Bomb"
30 January 2005: IAEA Director General Concerned That Terrorists Could Steal Nuclear Materials
29 January 2005: North Korea Alleged to Have Purchased Nuclear Weapon from Former Soviet Republics
22 December 2004: HEU Repatriated from Czech Republic to Russia
3 November 2004: U.S.-Ukraine Cooperate on Establishing Register of Radioactive Sources
20 October 2004: Boris Berezovsky Claims He Prevented Sale of Nuclear Weapon to Chechen Fighters
1 November 2003: Analysis Asserts WMD Smuggling Increasing in South Caucasus

8 March 2005 Update

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

8 February 2005: Attempted Theft of Radioactive Scrap Thwarted in Aktau, Kazakhstan
24 January 2005: Cesium-137 Seized in Crimea, Ukraine
18 January 2005: Radioactive Material Seized on Russian-Georgian Border
29 December 2004: Depleted Uranium Confiscated on Russian-Kazakhstani Border
20 November 2004: Radioactive Container Found in South Kazakhstan Oblast
8 November 2004: Radioactive Material Discovered near Tbilisi, Georgia
29 October 2004: Radioactive Scrap Found in Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia
16 August 2004: Radioactive Material Reportedly Seized near Odessa, Ukraine
12 August 2004: Radioactive Scrap Seized in Volgograd, Russia

Other items in this release:

28 January 2005: Moldova and Ukraine Sign Border Control Agreement
29 December 2004: Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan to Cooperate on Border Control
10 December 2004: Security Upgrades Completed at Three Russian Nuclear Facilities
5 November 2004: Radioactive Scrap at Aktau, Kazakhstan Chemical Plant Reported Vulnerable to Theft
20 October 2004: China Studying Russian Nuclear Facility Security Procedures
16 September 2004: Rosatom Head Assesses Security at Russian Nuclear Facilities
20 August 2004: RTGs Scheduled to be Removed from Murmansk Oblast Lighthouses by 2005
18 August 2004: Saratov Court Convicts Two of Smuggling Radioactive Material
3 August 2004: Russian Defense Minister Says Nuclear Weapons Secure

2004

10 December 2004 Update

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

2 November 2004: Small Amount of Pu-238 Recovered in Altay Kray, Russia
19 October 2004: Radioactive Cargo Seized in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Russia
19 October 2004: Depleted Uranium Found in Saratov, Russia
15 October 2004: Cesium-137 Seized in Armenia
8 October 2004: Valves Stolen from Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant
27 September 2004: Smoke Detectors with Plutonium Seized Near Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
2 September 2004: Americium-241 Seized in Kyiv, Ukraine
19 July 2004: Uranium Theft Blocked in Kirovo-Chepetsk, Russia
1 June 2004: Materials Contaminated with Radiation Seized in Moscow, Russia
27 May 2004: Americium-241 Seized in Novorossiysk, Russia
18 May 2004: "Red Mercury" Seized in Odessa, Ukraine

Other items in this release:

16 October 2004: Russia and Tajikistan to Cooperate on Border Security
8 July 2004: Russian Radwaste Accounting System Incomplete

15 September 2004 Update

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

23 July 2004: Belgorod, Russia Customs Post Detects 145 Radioactive Cargoes During 2004
6 May 2004: Cesium Peddlers Arrested in Crimea, Ukraine
21 April 2004: Radioactive Container Discovered in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia
31 March 2004: Radioactive Instrument Seized on Sakhalin, Russia
26 March 2004: Radiation Source Discovered near Elektrostal, Russia
26 March 2004: 400g Container Seized on Ukrainian-Hungarian Border in February 2004 Apparently Not Radioactive
8 February 2004: Analysts, Officials Discount Claims that Al Queda Has Stolen Russian "Suitcase Nuke"

Other items in this release:

10 April 2004: EU to Help Belarus Secure Borders Against Nuclear Smuggling
28 March 2004: Norway Asks Canada to Help Secure Russian RTGs
9 March 2004: Ukraine Denies Selling Nuclear Weapons to Afghanistan
2 March 2004: Kazakhstani Official Warns of Theft Risk at former Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site
18 February 2004: Kazakhstani Officials Deny Links to A.Q. Khan Network

30 March 2004 Update

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

15 March 2004: Radiation Source Containing Plutonium Seized in Dushanbe, Tajikistan
13 March 2004: Radioactive Material Seized on Georgian-Armenian Border
24 February 2004: Ukrainian Agents Confiscate 400g of Uranium and Other Radioactive Material
20 January 2004: Radioactive Scrap Metal Detected in Novorossiysk, Russia
29 December 2003: Armenian Customs Stops Radiation Source Bound for Iran

Other items in this release:

3 March 2004: Three Sentenced for Peddling Plutonium in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan
5 January 2004: Thieves Continue to Steal Radioactive Scrap Metal from Kara-Balta Ore Mining Combine, Kyrgyzstan
31 May 2003: .U.S., Uzbek Officials Discuss Installation of Additional Portal Monitors
2 February 2003: U.S. to Assist in Replacement of RTGs at Remote Russian Lighthouses

Other items in this release:

25 February 2004 Update

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

1 February 2004: Radioactive Scrap Metal Peddlers Arrested near Chornobyl, Ukraine
28 January 2004: Customs Agents Seize Radioactive Material in Bashkortostan, Russia
23 December 2003: Abandoned Radiation Sources Discovered in Akhtyubinsk Oblast, Kazakhstan
4 December 2003: Instrument Containing Cesium-137 Missing in Lugansk Oblast, Ukraine
20 November 2003: Osmium Scam Artists Arrested in Murmansk Oblast, Russia
15 November 2003: Uranium Peddlers Arrested in Brno, Czech Republic

Other items in this release:

27 January 2004: Top Minatom Officials Downplay Significance of Nuclear Black Market
9 December 2003: Radiation Detector Installed on Norwegian-Russian Border

8 January 2004 Update

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

17 December 2003: Radioactive Tubes Seized in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy
9 December 2003: Kiev Police Arrest Thieves with Radioactive Scrap from Chornobyl
1 December 2003: Elevated Radiation Level Found on Riga-Moscow Train
22 November 2003: Radioactive Materials Peddler Sentenced in Kazakhstan
19 November 2003: Stolen Cesium Recovered in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, Russia
17 November 2003: RTGs on Kola Peninsula Containing Strontium-90 Vandalized

Other items in this release:

30 December 2003: Russian News Agency Reports 1993 Theft of Plutonium
10 December 2003: Gosatomnadzor Head on Accounting Anomalies, Radiation Source Theft

2003

10 November 2003 Update:

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

24 October 2003: Radioactive Strontium Seized in Riga, Latvia
11 October 2003: Contaminated Scrap Metal Seized near Chornobyl, Ukraine
3 October 2003: Atomflot Manager Arrested with Uranium and Radium
26 September 2003: Cesium Stolen in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, Russia
24 September 2003: Radioactive Package Seized at Kiev Airport
23 September 2003: Depleted Uranium Seized in Uralsk, Kazakhstan
9 September 2003: Kazakh Customs Returns Radioactive Scrap Metal
4 September 2003: Cesium-137 Source Missing in Vologodskaya Oblast, Russia
3 September 2003: Polish Police Seize Radioactive Cesium
27 August 2003: Instrument Containing Plutonium-238 Stolen in Perm, Russia
7 August 2003: Georgian Authorities Resume Search for Missing RTGs
7 August 2003: Police Confiscate Americium-241 in Kiev, Ukraine
31 July 2003: Kazakhstani Police Seize Plutonium-239 Source
27 June 2003: Georgian Border Guards Seize "Uranium" on Georgian-Armenian Border

Other items in this release:

14 October 2003: Con Artists Selling "Plutonium" Convicted, Sentenced in Sarov, Russia
22 September 2003: International Operation Removes HEU from Romanian Research Facility
22 August 2003: Slightly Radioactive Stones Erroneously Seized in Murmansk Oblast, Russia
May 2003: GAO Reports Efforts to Control Sealed Radioactive Sources Need Strengthening

20 August 2003 Update:

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

26 July 2003: Ukrainian Police Find Cesium-137
25 July 2003: Primorskiy Kray Police Seize Uranium
23 July 2003: Primorskiy Kray Police Arrest Cesium Peddlers
25 June 2003: Ukrainian Police Arrest Two, Seize Cesium
24 June 2003: Five Radioactive Incidents Reported in Sverdlovsk Oblast in 2002
17 June 2003: Tbilisi Police Seize Cesium, Strontium, Mustard Gas
13 June 2003: Thai Police Seize Cesium
10 June 2003: Belarusian KGB Reports Seizing Two Containers of Cesium
15 April 2003: Kyrgyzstani Police Arrest Thieves with Ytterbium Oxide
1 April 2003: Radioactive Cargo from Uzbekistan Seized at Almaty Airport

Other items in this release:

17 July 2003: Analysis of June 2003 Seizure of Cesium in Thailand
6 May 2003: Three Sentenced in July 2001 Paris HEU Case
14 November 2002: Russian Officials Admit Thefts of Nuclear Material in Previous Decade

11 June 2003 Update:

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

21 May 2003: Europium Thieves Arrested in Kyrgyzstan
8 May 2003: Orphaned Cesium-137 Sources Found in Tbilisi, Georgia
8 May 2003: Slightly Radioactive Cargo Seized, Released in Komi Republic, Russia
21 April 2003: Radioactive Container Seized in Kaliningrad, Russia
14 February 2003: Suspects with Radioactive Material Arrested in Odessa, Ukraine

Other items in this release:

23 May 2003: Professor Claims Greece is "Crossroads" of Nuclear Trafficking
15 May 2003: Russian Minister of Atomic Energy Minimizes Threat of Nuclear Materials Theft

8 May 2003 Update:

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

5 May 2003: Radioactive Container Discovered in Magadan Oblast, Russia
17 April 2003: Stolen RTG Recovered in Leningrad Oblast, Russia
16 April 2003: Radiation Sources Found at Destroyed Grozny Chemical Plant

Other items in this release:

21 January 2003: Chornobyl NPP Management Denies Theft Charges

15 April 2003 Update:

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

4 April 2003: Cesium-137 Seized in Akhtubinsk, Russia
2 March 2003: Osmium-187 Seized in Omsk, Russia
12 March 2003: "Radioactive" Mercury Seized in Tajikistan
26 February 2003: Radioactive Equipment Found in Bashkortostan, Russia
17 February 2003: Radioactive Cesium Missing from Georgian Military Base
13 February 2003: Cesium Peddlers Arrested in Belarus
12 February 2003: Radioactive Container Seized on Belarusian-Polish Border
17 January 2003: Radioactive Cargo Turned Back at Kazakhstani-Chinese Border
20 December 2002:Paper Alleges Uranium Theft from Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrate Plant
3 October 2003: Radioactive Cesium, Cadmium Found in Chita Oblast, Russia (updated)

Other items in this release:

25 March 2003: Trial of Accused HEU Smugglers Opens in Paris, France
21 March 2003: Central Asian Customs Officials Receive Countersmuggling Training in United States
13 March 2003: International Conference Discusses Security of Radiation Sources
13 March 2003: Minister of Atomic Energy Rumyantsev Announces Antiterrorism Measures
13 March 2003: Russia Takes Steps to Account for Radiation Sources
21 February 2003: Gosatomnadzor Official Admits "Two or Three" Attempted Nuclear Material Thefts in 2002
5 February 2003: Minister of Atomic Energy Says All Stolen Nuclear Material Recovered
30 January 2003: Russian General Says Chechen Rebels Still Hope to Steal Nuclear Warheads
19 January 2003: Kazakhstan Reports Data on Illicit Trade Activity in 2002
15 January 2003: Report Alleges Soviet Atomic Demolition Munitions Placed in United States
14 January 2003: Russian Environmentalist Says Russia Vulnerable to Nuclear Terrorism
14 January 2003: Minatom Official Says Chechen Rebels Cannot Build Nuclear Weapons
25 December 2002: Article Analyzes Illicit Radioisotope Trafficking in Russia

4 February 2003 Update

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

30 January 2003: Uranium Dioxide Found on Moscow Street
9 January 2003: Europium Stolen from Kyrgyzstani Factory
10 December 2002: Unidentified Radioactive Material Reported Stolen from Sosny Institute, Belarus
5 December 2002: Cobalt-60 Peddlers Arrested in Tver Oblast, Russia
5 November 2002: Radioactive Scrap Metal Found in Volgograd, Russia
22 October 2002: Radioactive Scrap Seized on Kazakhstani-Chinese Border
18 September 2002: Radioactive Material Seized in Krasnodar Kray, Russia
23 May 2002: Uranium and Cesium Siezed in Poltava Oblast, Ukraine

Other items in this release:

18 December 2002: Joint Abkhaz-Georgian Committee to Examine Radiation Security
7 December 2002: U.S. To Help Equip Kazakhstani Border Posts
5 November 2002: Tatarstan Case Involving Radioactive Scrap Dismissed
1 November 2002: Russian Paper Analyzes Threat of Nuclear Terrorism
Summer 2002: Joint Abkhaz-Georgian Proposals on Radwaste Safety and Security

2002

20 December 2002 Update

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

6 December 2002: Suspects in December 2001 Seizure of LEU in Balashika, Russia, Tried, Convicted
5 December 2002: Cesium-137 Stolen from Bulgarian Factory
21 November 2002: Radioactive Container Found in Samara, Russia
29 October 2002: Cesium-137 Thieves in Sukhumi, Georgia (Abkhazia) Exposed to Radiation
27 March 2002: Radioactive Containers Found in Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan
15 October 2002: Radioactive Material Seized on Russian-Azerbaijani Border (updated)
17 April 2001: Bulgarian Police Seize Radioactive Sphere

Other items in this release:

30 November 2002: Russia to Install Radiation Monitors at All Border Posts during 2003
11 November 2002: Soviet Research Project Abandoned Thousands of Radiation Sources
14 October 2002: Gosatomnadzor Official Admits Thefts of Nuclear Material in Past Decade
3 October 2002: IAEA Conducts Countersmuggling Training in Vladivostok, Russia
1 July 2002: IAEA Finds No Additional RTGs in Georgia
10 November 2001: Security Increased at Russian Nuclear Facilities

18 November 2002 Update

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

15 October 2002: Chechen Resident Arrested on Russian-Azerbaijani Border for Smuggling Radiation Source
3 October 2002: Radiation Source Discovered in Chita Oblast, Russia
9 October 2002: Paperwork Dispute Leads to Seizure of 27 t of LEU by Russian Customs
30 September 2002: Radioactive Sand Seized on Kazakhstani-Chinese Border
20 September 2002: Russian Attempting to Sell Strontium-90 Arrested in Ukraine
21 September 2002: Russian Arrested in Ukraine for Peddling Uranium
18 September 2002: Cesium Seized in Almaty, Kazakhstan
17 September 2002: LEU Seized in Minsk in January 2002 Probably Stolen from Chernobyl NPP
6 September 2002: Cesium Source Found in Petrozavodsk, Russia.
4 September 2002: Children Found Playing with Radiation Source in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia
22 May 2002: Belarusian Arrested in Moscow While Peddling Radioactive Material
16 May 2002: Bulgarian Police Arrest Two for Possession of "Plutonium Sensors"

Other items in this release:

27 October 2002: Media Reports Claim Osmium Smuggling Threatens Russia
9 October 2002: Ukrainian Institute Denies Possible Sale of Uranium
12 September 2002: Ukrainian Communist Parliamentarian Claims 200 Former Soviet Nuclear Warheads Unaccounted For
11 September 2002: Communist Russian Duma Deputy Claims Osmium Smuggling a Proliferation Threat
28 August 2002: Finnish Security Police Probe Possible Nuclear Smuggling

8 October 2002 Update

Reported Thefts and Seizures in this release:

1 October 2002: Material Seized in Sunliurfa, Turkey not Uranium
25 August 2002: Cesium-137 Source Found in Dagestan, Russia
11 July 2002: Suspected Paris HEU Smuggler Arrested in Portugal
19 July 2002: British Paper Alleges Plutonium Theft at Volgodonsk NPP
4 July 2002: Cesium-137 Seized in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan
10 June 2002: LEU Seized in Izhevsk, Russia
1 June 2002: Cesium Seized in Lithuania not Radioactive
21 May 2002: Cesium-137 Stolen from Belarusian Cement Plant
23 April 2002: Cesium-137 Stolen from Ukrainian Sugar Factory
9 April 2002: Radiation Source Seized in Kazakhstan
31 January 2002: Russian Customs Intercepts Contaminated Cargo
May 2001: Navy Accused of Violating Spent Fuel Transport Regulations
21 November 2001: Russian Nuclear Regulatory Official Reveals Nuclear Material Accounting Discrepancy

Other items in this release:

4 September 2002: Russian Ministry of Defense Says Nuclear Warheads Secure
14 August 2002: Kazakhstan to Tighten Radiation Monitoring at Borders
7 August 2002: Uzbekistan Tightens Radiation Monitoring at Borders
1 August 2002: Article Analyzes Threat of Nuclear Smuggling in Turkey
29 June 2002: Abkhaz, Georgian Officials Disagree about Missing HEU
23 April 2002: Russia Tightens Antismuggling Laws
19 February 2002: Lithuanian Court Confirms Russian Ownership of Beryllium Seized in 1993
5 February 2002: Radiation Detectors Installed on Lithuanian-Belarusian Border

1 May 2002 Update

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

4 April 2002: IAEA Recovers Soviet-Made Cobalt-60 Source from Kabul Hospital
4 April 2002: Lithuanian Troops Recover Part of Stolen Nuclear Fuel Assembly near Ignalina
3 April 2002: Russian Customs Agents Find Radiation Source at Leningrad Checkpoint
3 April 2002: Cesium-137 Sources Discovered in Groznyy
27 March 2002: Tajikistani Authorities Arrest Four, Recover 2kg Natural Uranium Stolen from Vostokredmet
26 March 2002: Iran Covertly Mining Uranium in Azerbaijan, Baku Newspaper Reports
18 March 2002: Thorium-232 Seized on Russia-Kazakhstan Border
16 March 2002: Lithuanian Officials Recover Uranium Stolen from Ignalina in 1992
11 March 2002: Kazakhstani Officials Confiscate 1.5kg Uranium Oxide, Heroin
6 March 2002: Belarusian Police Seize Weapons, Radioactive Materials from Crime Ring
20 February 2002: Radiation Source Discovered at Georgian Port
14 February 2002: Two Krypton-85 Sources Stolen in Smolensk Oblast
12 February 2002: Cesium-137 Source Discovered in Zestafoni, Georgia
4 February 2002: Contaminated Metal Seized from Train Car on Russia-China Border
31 January 2002: Radioactive Medical Waste Delivered to Moscow Refuse Plant
27 January 2002: Turkish Police Seize Two Grams of "Red Mercury" from Russian Couple
15 January 2002: Radiothermal Generators Containing Strontium-90 Discovered in Liya, Georgia (Updated)
28 December 2001: Osmium Seized in Russia (Updated)
22 December 2001: Georgia Arrests Uranium Smuggler
31 October 2001: Cesium-137 Container Stolen from Ore-enriching Plant
15 October 2001: Plutonium Seized from Tbilisi Apartments
29 September 2001: Cesium Stolen, Radioactive Isotope Warheads Reportedly Unsecured in Moldova

Other Items in This release:

18 March 2002: Radiothermal Generators in NIS Uncontrolled, Unprotected
19 February 2002: Russian Physicist Rules out Theft of Weapons-Grade Nuclear Materials
5 February 2002: Radiation Detection Equipment Installed at Turkish Border Crossing
1 February 2002: U.S. National Intelligence Council Issues Report on Security of Russian Nuclear Weapons and Materials
18 January 2002: Bulgaria to Take Measures against Trafficking in Nuclear Material
24 December 2001: Uzbekistan to Produce Radiation Monitoring Equipment
11 December 2001: DOE Antes up $1.2 Million for IAEA to Combat Nuclear Terrorism
1 November 2001: Threat from "Dirty" Bomb Analyzed

22 February 2002 Update

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

17 January 2002: Belarusian Police Arrest Uranium Smugglers
17 January 2002: Suspect Selling Strontium-90 Arrested in Minsk, Belarus
15 January 2002: Radiothermal Generators Containing Strontium-90 Discovered in Liya, Georgia
28 December 2001: Osmium Peddlers Arrested in Moscow, Russia
18 December 2001: Cobalt-60 Traffickers Arrested in Yekaterinburg, Russia
4 December 2001: LEU Peddlers Arrested in Balashika, Russia
21 October 2001: Uranium Seized in Paris in July 2001 Reportedly from NIS (update)
30 August 2001: Workers at Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrate Plant Arrested for Zirconium Theft
29 August 2001: Zirconium Shipment Seized in Belarus
23 September 2000: Radioactive Scrap Seized on Russian-Chinese Border
29 August 2000: Russian Nuclear Regulatory Agency Reports May 2000 Seizure of HEU in Elektrostal, Russia
30 June 2000: Instruments Containing Cesium-137 and Americium-241 Stolen in Raichikhinsk, Russia

Other Items in This Release:

9 January 2002: Georgian Minister Says Former Russian Military Base Must be Searched for Orphaned Radiation Sources
22 October 2001: Ukraine and United States Sign Export and Border Control Agreement
4 October 2001: IAEA Outlines Program to Combat Nuclear Smuggling
2 October 2001: Radiation Monitors Installed at Uzbekistani Border Crossings
25 September 2001: Physics Conference in Uzbekistan Discusses Combatting Illicit Trafficking
1 June 2001: Radiation Monitors Tested on Austrian-Hungarian Border
1 June 2001: Journal Article Assesses Threat of Nuclear Trafficking

17 January 2002 Update

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

13 September 2001: Cesium-137 Seized from Car in Nalchik, Russia
30 August 2001: Osmium-187 Seized, Thieves Arrested in Istanbul, Turkey
30 August 2001: Radioactive Object Found in Nizhniy Novgorod Oblast, Russia
26 August 2001: Uranium Seized from Villager in West Bengal, India
24 August 2001: Cesium-137 Found on Vaziani Military Base, Georgia
1 June 2001: Plutonium Source Reported Seized in Liepaja, Latvia
1 June 2001: Plutonium Source Reported Seized in Kara-Balta, Kyrgyzstan

Other items in this release:

29 August 2001: Kazakhstani President Warns of Terrorist Nuclear Threat
28 August 2001: NIS Border Officials Trained in US to Combat Nuclear Materials Smuggling

2001

15 September 2001 Update

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

23 August 2001: Cesium-137 Stolen in Vologda Oblast, Russia
24 July 2001: LEU Seized in Batumi, Georgia
23 July 2001: 5g HEU Seized in Paris, France
18 July 2001: Radiation Source Stolen in Orenburg Oblast, Russia
9 June 2001: Radiation Source Found in Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russia

Other Items in this release:

18 July 2001: Lithuanian Convicted in US of Attempted Sale of Tactical Nuclear Weapons Deported to Lithuania
1 June 2001: Radium Traffickers Trial Begins in Novosibirsk, Russia
21 May 2001: Russian Customs Officials Discuss Nuclear Smuggling Threat
21 May 2001: Physicist Discusses HEU Missing from Research Institute in Sukhumi, Georgia

23 July 2001 Update

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

16 May 2001: Radiation Source Found in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia
14 May 2001: Radioactive Materials Found in Moscow Apartment
7 May 2001: Kazakhstani Customs Detains Truck with Radiocative Cargo
28 April 2001: Russian Naval Officers Arrested for Selling Radioactive Instruments
27 April 2001: Radioactive Metal Rods Discovered in Vladivostok, Russia
18 April 2001: Turkish Police Arrest Osmium Traffickers
11 April 2001: Radiation Source Stolen from Plant in Mykolayiv, Ukraine
6 April 2001: Radioactive Cargo Detained by Kazakhstain Customs at Chinese Border

5 April 2001 Update

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

10 March 2001: Moscow Police Halt Radioactive Cesium Deal
7 March 2001: Radioactive Cargo Stopped on Russian-Kazakhstani Border
3 March 2001: "Nuclear Projectile" Seized in Turkey
27 February 2001: Radioactive Container Detected in Sverdlovsk Oblast
1 February 2001: Radioactive Material Handed in to Moscow Metro Police
31 January 2001: Stolen Radioactive Instruments Seized in Kamchatka Oblast, Russia (Updated)
30 January 2001: Plates Containing Plutonium Seized in Greece (Updated)

Other Items in this release:

27 February 2001: Nuclear Smugglers Convicted in North Ossetia, Russia
26 February 2001: Israel Concerned Iraq May Smuggle in Nuclear Material
16 February 2001: Tajikistani Official Notes Threat of Nuclear Smuggling
23 January 2001: Five Indicted in Romania for Nuclear Smuggling

15 February 2001 Update

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

31 January 2001: Stolen Radioactive Instruments Seized in Kamchatka Oblast, Russia
30 January 2001: Plates Containing Plutonium Seized in Greece
30 January 2001: Radioactive Thorium Seized on Russian-Kazakhstani Border
26 January 2001: 35 Loads of Radioactive Scrap Interdicted on Russian-Kazakhstani Border in 2000
25 January 2001: Radioactive Scrap Metal from Chornobyl Exclusion Zone Seized
19 January 2001: 100kg of Radioactive Material Seized by Transbaykal, Russia Border Guards in 2000
22 December 2000: Uranium Seizure in Vladivostok, Russia Recounted

Other Items in this release:

2 February 2001: Cyprus Denies Involvement in Plutonium Smuggling
15 January 2001: Russian Atomic Energy Minister Questioned About Nuclear Technology Leakage
10 January 2001: DOE Task Force Says Russian Nuclear Material Insecure, Urges Increased Assistance
9 January 2001: Turner, Nunn Form "Nuclear Threat Initiative"
25 December 2000: Bin Laden Reportedly Trying to Purchase Former Soviet Nuclear Weapons
20 December 2000: Bashkortostan, Russia Firm Bribed to Illegally Dispose of Radwaste
8 December 2000: Bulgarian Weekly Examines 1999 HEU Smuggling Case

2000

15 December 2000 Update

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

27 November 2000: Zirconium Trafficker Arrested in Omsk, Russia
27 November 2000: Cesium-137 Stolen from Ukrainian Mine
10 November 2000: Ukrainian Customs Seizes Radioactive Cobalt
14 October 2000: Radioactive Cesium Missing From Plant in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia
16 September 2000: Uranium Traffckers Arrested in Romania

Other Items in this release:

30 November 2000: Lithuanian Experts Discuss Nuclear Trafficking
17 November 2000: Nuclear Material Secured at Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrate Plant
13 November 2000: IAEA to Assist Belarus Combat Nuclear Trafficking

1 November 2000 Update

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

30 October 2000: Minatom Official Says 1998 Theft Attempt in Chelyabinsk Involved HEU
20 October 2000: Radiation Source Seized from Car in Rivne, Ukraine
6 October 2000: Police Seize 150g Uranium in Erdine, Turkey
16 September 2000: Uranium, Plutonium Seized from Smugglers in Tbilisi, Georgia
27 September 2000: Radiation Sources Discovered in Grozny, Chechnya
21 August 2000: Radioactive Instrument Lost in Krivoy Rog, Ukraine
18 July 2000: Radioactive Scrap Metal Detected at St. Petersburg Port
4 April 2000: Radioactive Scrap Metal Seized in Mangistau Oblast, Kazakhstan

Other Items in this release:

30 September 2000: Radioactive Shell Fragments Recovered in Donetsk, Ukraine
29 September 2000: Problems with Orphaned Radiation Sources in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan
28 September 2000: Minatom Official Discusses Attempted Thefts of Fissile Materials
14 August 2000: Bulgarian Official Discusses May 1999 Seizure of HEU
11 August 2000: General Notes Delays in Upgrading Nuclear Weapon Storage Sites
22 March 2000: Five Sailors Killed in Attempted Theft from Decommissioned Nuclear Submarine (updated)

22 August 2000 Update

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

9 August 2000: Radioactive Instrument Detected in Scrap Metal Shipment in Komsomolsk-na-Amure, Russia
29 July 2000: Smoke Detectors Containing Pu-239 Discovered in Krasnoyarsk
28 July 2000: Uranium Seized from Traffickers in Vladikavkaz, Russia
27 July 2000: Radioactive Instruments Discovered in Kaliningrad, Russia
25 July 2000: Radioactive Substance Confiscated from Smugglers in Kaunas, Lithuania
24 July 2000: 10 MT of Radioactive Pipes Stolen from Chornobyl, Ukraine Plant
18 July 2000: Radioactive Container Found in Downtown Stavropol, Russia
14 July 2000: Radium-226 Seized from Smugglers in Novosibirsk, Russia
8 July 2000: Radioactive Instrument Stolen from Factory in Novgorod Oblast, Russia
11 July 2000: Ukrainian Police Confiscate Radioactive Cesium in Dnipropetrovsk
7 July 2000: Cadmium Seized in Zheleznogorsk, Russia
4 July 2000: Kazak Police Seize 90kg of Radioacative Mercury
29 June 2000: Police Arrest Alleged Plutonium Smugglers in Dagestan Russia
3 April 2000: Orphaned Radiation Sources Recovered in Groznyy, Russia (updated with new information)

Other Items in this release:

28 July 2000: Azerbaijan Denies Receiving Shipment of Radioactive Cesium
27 July 2000: GAN Critical of Russian Nuclear Material Transport Regulations, Cites Violations
30 June 2000: Isotope Thieves Sentenced in Sverdlovsk Oblast
12 June 2000: Radwaste Theft Problems at Kara Balta Ore Combine, Krygyzstan
19 April 2000: Uranium Smugglers Sentenced in Tajikistan

7 July 2000 Update

Reported thefts and seizures in this release:

5 July 2000: LEU Seized in Almaty, Kazakhstan
21 June 2000: Osmium Seized in Novosibirsk, Russia
13 June 2000: