Tag: Nuclear
The Futility of Dialogue With Putin
(Jamestown Foundation – jamestown.org – Eurasia Daily Monitor: Volume 13, Issue 100 – Pavel K. Baev – May 23, 2016) The need to keep the channels of dialogue open with an unpredictable Russia is taken as an absolute imperative by many Western politicians. But they are often surprised when this tactic backfires. The foreign ministers of the member states of […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK The National Interest/Olga Oliker: “No, Russia Isn’t Trying to Make Nuclear War Easier. The evidence that Moscow plans to ‘escalate to de-escalate’ is weak.”
TRANSCRIPT: [Putin at] Meeting on defence industry development
(Kremlin.ru – May 13, 2016) Vladimir Putin held this week’s final meeting with Defence Ministry leadership and defence industry representatives. The meeting covered the current tasks of the defence industry, specifically, mobilisation readiness of defence industry companies. Another issue on the agenda was the deployment of the US missile defence system in Eastern Europe. President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK Sputnik News: “US Missile Defense in Eastern Europe: How Russia Will Respond”
Is NATO’s antimissile defense system in Europe a threat to Russia?
Moscow has called the American antimissile defense system in Romania a threat to its security. Washington and Brussels insist that the system is not aimed at Russia and is helpless against Russian missiles. But is this true? (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – ALEXEY TIMOFEYCHEV, RBTH – May 16, 2016) The first American antimissile defense system on European soil, […]
» Read moreInterfax: Federation Council not ruling out deployment of U.S. missile defense shield in Romania may influence New START Treaty’s fate
MOSCOW. May 13 (Interfax) – The activation of a Romania-based facility of the U.S. missile defense shield and the further deployment of this shield in Eastern Europe may influence Russia’s participation in the New START Treaty, signed by the United States and Russia in 2010, Frants Klintsevich, first deputy chairman of the Defense and Security Committee of the Federation Council, […]
» Read moreInterfax: Target for U.S. missile shield in Europe still important issue, Russia sees it as threat – Kremlin spokesman
MOSCOW. May 12 (Interfax) – It is still important to clarify against whom the U.S.’ missile defense system in Europe is being deployed, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said. “It was first explained quite elaborately by a missile threat that could potentially emanate from Iran,” Peskov told journalists on Thursday. “Now we know that the Iran situation has changed […]
» Read moreNuclear security internationalized and strengthened, diplomats say; New document takes effect that will reduce the risk of a terrorist attack involving nuclear material
(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – ANDREI ZOLOTOV, JR., SPECIAL TO RBTH – May 9, 2016) To take diplomats’ words at face value, the world has grown a notch safer this week. On Sunday, May 8, 2016 an amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM), has entered into force, the IAEA announced. This amendment […]
» Read moreA sheltered existence: Life in Russia’s closed cities
Dating back to the Soviet era, closed cities, where important strategic facilities were hidden and secured, continue to exist in today’s Russia. These cities cannot be entered without a special pass, but tourists occasionally manage to make it inside. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – OLEG YEGOROV, SPECIAL TO RBTH – May 2, 2016) In the late 1940s, a […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK VALDAI CLUB REPORT: “NUCLEAR WEAPONS CEASE TO BE A SUFFICIENT DETERRENT. The main feature of possible future war between the great powers would be a breakaway from strict rules of war and the erosion of the boundaries between the concepts of ‘war’ and ‘peace.'”
Atomic energy and political power in Russia
In Russia, the space for environmental activism and advocacy is changing under increasing state pressure. An interview with one of Russia’s leading ecological organisations about the prospects for anti-nuclear activism today. (opendemocracy.net – EDITORS OF OPENDEMOCRACY RUSSIA, VLADIMIR SLIVYAK, NAILYA IBRAGIMOVA – April 25, 2016) In the coming days, much of the coverage of the Chernobyl disaster in Russia is […]
» Read moreThree-quarters of Russians believe modern NPPs safe
(Interfax – April 26, 2016) The attitude of Russians to the atomic energy industry has drastically changed over the past quarter of a century: 56 percent opposed its development (14 percent voiced their support) in 1990, and now atomic energy is welcomed by 58 percent (and opposed by 28 percent), the Russian Public Opinion Study Center (VTsIOM) has said. Seventy-three […]
» Read moreWhy Ukraine is at risk of forgetting the lessons of Chernobyl
Thirty years after the explosion at the nuclear power plant in the Ukrainian city of Chernobyl, one Russian expert argues that, by using American fuel in Soviet-built reactors and pushing the power-producing capabilities of its nuclear plants, Ukraine is putting itself at potential risk of another disaster. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – ANDREI RETINGER, SPECIAL TO RBTH – […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK AP: “Etched in Their Mind: Ukraine Marks 30 Years Since Chernobyl”
NEWSLINK The Nation/Dusty Christensen: “30 Years After the Chernobyl Meltdown, Why Is the Ukrainian Government Pushing Nuclear Energy? Or, how Ukraine learned to stop worrying and love its nuclear power plants.”
NEWSLINK AP: “Ukraine children eat food tainted by Chernobyl”
NEWSLINK Russia Direct: “Russia might be the first casualty if nuclear terrorism becomes reality. RD Interview: Alexey Arbatov, the head of the Carnegie Moscow Center’s Nonproliferation Program, discusses nuclear security challenges and the risk of terrorist groups getting access to nuclear weapons.”
Putin: Obama ‘Personally’ Invited Russian President to Nuclear Summit
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anna Dolgov – April 8, 2016) Russian President Vladimir Putin said U.S. President Barack Obama had “personally” invited him to attend the nuclear summit held in Washington last week, but he declined over insufficient prominence offered to Russia at the event, and Moscow’s complaints about implementation of a disarmament deal. “Yes, I was invited, and […]
» Read moreNuclear cooperation still key for Russia, despite boycott of U.S. summit
Despite refusing to attend the final Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C., Moscow remains committed to nuclear nonproliferation and securing radioactive waste. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – VLADIMIR MIKHEEV, SPECIAL TO RBTH – March 30, 2016) Russia will not be in attendance at the fourth and final Nuclear Security Summit, taking place March 31-April 1 in Washington, D.C. […]
» Read moreNEWSWATCH Reuters: “Risk of nuclear war in Europe growing, warns Russian ex-minister [Igor Ivanov]”
The East-West standoff over the Ukraine crisis has brought the threat of nuclear war in Europe closer than at any time since the 1980s…. said Igor Ivanov, Russia’s foreign minister from 1998 to 2004 and now head of a Moscow-based think-tank founded by the Russian government. … Russia and the United States have cut their nuclear arsenals [but] the pace […]
» Read moreHawks See Obama’s NATO Pick as Soft on Russia
(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Josh Rogin – March 11, 2016) At a crucial moment in the U.S. relationship with Europe, President Barack Obama has chosen a No. 2 for NATO whom some Republican lawmakers see as the face of a wrongheaded approach to Russia. On Tuesday, the Obama administration informed NATO allies that it will recommend the undersecretary of state […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK: “The Turing Award, Nuclear Risk, and Recapturing True Love” – Defusing the Nuclear Threat/Martin Hellman
NEWSLINK: “Europe’s Extremists Are Not Putin’s Fault. Europeans should look to Brussels – not Moscow – for the source of their extremism problem” – Foreign Policy Magazine/Scott Radnitz
TRANSCRIPT: Dmitry Medvedev’s interview with Time magazine
(Government.ru – February 15, 2016) Dmitry Medvedev has given an interview to Time magazine correspondent Simon Shuster following the Munich Security Conference. Question: Thank you very much for agreeing to this interview with Time magazine. I would also like to thank you for your remarks today at the conference. This was a very interesting and eloquent speech. You made a […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK: “Mounting Evidence Putin Will Ignite WWIII” – Observer.com/John Schindler
How realistic is BBC film about Russia-NATO nuclear war?
In a recent British pseudo-documentary film, a confrontation between NATO and Russia because of a pro-Russian uprising in Latvia leads to a nuclear war. Russian experts interviewed by RBTH are skeptical about the premise of the film: In their opinion, such uprisings are impossible in the Baltic countries and Russia would never engage in a direct armed conflict with NATO. […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK: “Risky Contradictions: Putin’s Stance on Strategic Arms and Missile Defense” – Carnegie Moscow/Vladimir Dworkin
NEWSLINK: “Russian Companies Rush to Return to Post-Sanctions Iran” – New York Times
Why Russia is steaming back into the Pacific
Russia’s power projection in the Pacific is in sync with its growing assertiveness globally, but it doesn’t necessarily threaten the U.S. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – RAKESH KRISHNAN SIMHA, SPECIAL TO RBTH – February 4, 2016) Russia is expanding its military presence in the Pacific in a manner not seen since the Cold War. From California to Guam […]
» Read moreRose Gottemoeller: Washington, Moscow could settle INF problem in 2016
(Interfax – February 5, 2016) U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security State Rose Gottemoeller has given an interview to Interfax in which she speaks about U.S.-Russian issues over the INF Treaty and states that the United States is not going to return to the IV stage of its missile shield in Europe and not going […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK: “World War Three: Inside the War Room” – BBC
NEWSLINK: “Pay Attention, America: Russia Is Upgrading Its Military. The Kremlin’s forces are in the midst of a historic overhaul.” – The National Interest/Steven Pifer
NEWSWATCH: “EU, Russia may nuke asteroids. Blowing up comets and asteroids with nuclear bombs is just one way to save the planet from an Armageddon-style impact, say scientists.” – The Daily Telegraph (UK)
The Daily Telegraph covers the prospect of the EU and Russia launching nuclear missiles against asteroids or comets that threaten the earth. The European Commission funded Russian scientists to develop plans to save the world from rogue asteroids by blowing them up with nuclear weapons. … Russia’s top space research institute teamed up with missile and rocket engineers to look […]
» Read moreRussia to take no part in Nuclear Security Summit in Washington – Foreign Ministry
MOSCOW. Jan 13 (Interfax) – Nuclear Security Summits “have played their role” and their political agenda has been exhausted; Russia has stopped preparing for the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit in Washington DC, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said. “Our country has taken part in three Nuclear Security Summits, those held in Washington (2010), Seoul (2012) and the Hague (2014). […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK The Guardian: “Nuclear weapons risk greater than in cold war, says ex-Pentagon chief. William Perry lists a series of factors that he says mean the chance of a ‘calamity’ is higher today than in the 1970s and 80s”
Interfax: West unfoundedly accuses Russia of INF breach to deflect similar accusations against itself – Naryshkin
MOSCOW. Dec 10 (Interfax) – The West, including the United States, is breaching the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) and is accusing Russia of doing so in order to deflect accusations against itself, State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin has said. “Political speculations aimed at deflecting lawful accusations and at misleading the global public on the subject of Russia have become […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK Washington Post: “In 1983 ‘war scare,’ Soviet leadership feared nuclear surprise attack by U.S.”
Russia, U.S. slow down pace of strategic weapons reduction under START Treaty
(Interfax – October 7, 2015) The United States and Russia shared the data on the condition of strategic offensive weapons according to the 2010 START Treaty, ex-chief of the General Staff of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces Col. Viktor Yesin told Interfax-AVN on Oct. 7. “The information published by the U.S. State Department, it’s a pity that it was not […]
» Read moreInterfax: Moscow concerned by plans to modernize U.S. nuclear weapons in Germany
(Interfax – September 22, 2015) Moscow is troubled by plans to modernize U.S. nuclear weapons in Germany, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has said. “Such plans on the part of the U.S. cause our concern,” Zakharova said in an interview with Germany’s ZDF television station. The text of the interview was published on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website on […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK AP: “Russian who ‘saved the world’ recalls his decision as 50/50” (Stanislav Petrov)
Impasse Over U.S.-Russia Nuclear Treaty Hardens As Washington Threatens ‘Countermeasures’
(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Mike Eckel – WASHINGTON, September 16, 2015) Russia risks provoking “military and economic countermeasures” if it continues to stonewall over a U.S. accusation that it violated a bedrock of nuclear arms control, the United States’ lead arms-control negotiator says. The comments by Rose Gottemoeller, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, highlight the seriousness […]
» Read moreCeleste A. Wallander: “U.S. Policy on Russia”
The White House June 26, 2015 Remarks by Celeste Wallander, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Russia and Central Asia on U.S. Policy on Russia U.S. Policy on Russia CNAS Annual Conference June 26 2015 Celeste A. Wallander Special Assistant to the President And Senior Director for Russia and Central Asia National Security Council I am especially […]
» Read moreSimon Saradzhyan: Response to to Dr. Mark Galeotti’s article on Russia Strategy (JRL#152. August 7)
Subject: Response to to Dr. Mark Galeotti’s article on Russia Strategy (JRL#152. August 7) Date: Tue, 18 Aug 2015 23:14:07 +0000 From: Simon Saradzhyan <Simon_Saradzhyan@hks.harvard.edu> Simon Saradzhyan’s Response to Dr. Mark Galeotti’s article on Russia Strategy in Foreign Affairs. [Simon Saradzhyan is assistant director of the U.S.-Russia Initiative to Prevent Nuclear Terrorism and a fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer […]
» Read moreFifteen Years on, Russians Less Inclined to Cast Blame for Kursk Submarine Tragedy
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Daria Litvinova – August 12, 2015) Fifteen years after one of the worst disasters in Russian naval history – the sinking of the Kursk submarine in the Barents Sea in which all 118 crew members died – the number of Russians who blame the authorities for not doing enough to rescue the sailors has dropped. […]
» Read moreMoscow Mulling ‘Nuclear Provocation’ Against Ukraine, Kyiv Analyst Says
(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, August 4, 2015) To overcome the stalemate on the ground and to get itself out of the diplomatic corner it has painted itself into by vetoing the UN Security Council resolution on the Malaysian airliner tribunal, Moscow appears to be planning an act of “nuclear provocation” against Ukraine so as to turn […]
» Read moreRussia, U.S. Bicker Over Missile Defense Shield After Iran Agreement
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Matthew Bodner – August 11, 2015) With an international resolution on Iran’s nuclear program in the bag, Russia is pushing the U.S. to honor an alleged 2009 promise by President Barack Obama to scrap plans to deploy a missile defense system in Europe to shield against Iranian missiles. “President Obama in 2009 publicly said that […]
» Read moreToward a ”Reaganov” Russia: Russian Security Policy after Putin
(The Washington Quarterly – twq.elliott.gwu.edu – Clifford Gaddy and Michael O’Hanlon – Summer 2015) [article also appeared at twq.elliott.gwu.edu/toward-%E2%80%98%E2%80%98reaganov%E2%80%99%E2%80%99-russia-russian-security-policy-after-putin] Clifford Gaddy is Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Center on the United States and Europe, Brookings Institution. An economist specializing in Russia, Gaddy is the co-author of “Bear Traps on Russia’s Road to Modernization” (Routledge, 2013). His earlier books include “Russia’s Virtual […]
» Read moreNEWSWATCH London Times: Ukraine rebels ‘building dirty bomb’ with Russian scientists
The Times reports on Ukrainian intelligence findings about Russia-bombed rebels working with Russian scientists to develop conventional bombs laced with radioactive material to maximize their impact. Rebels in Ukraine are working to develop a radioactive dirty bomb with the help of Russian nuclear scientists, according to a Ukrainian security service dossier obtained by The Times. The report draws on hacked emails […]
» Read moreRIA Novosti: East Ukraine separatist spokesman denies reported plans to create “dirty bomb”
(RIA Novosti – August 1, 2015) Documents provided by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), which have been mentioned by the foreign mass media and which allegedly contain information about development of a “dirty nuclear bomb” by members of the militia, are Kiev’s “yet another lie” and attempt to discredit the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), RIA Novosti (part of […]
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