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soldier had been suffering a nervous breakdown. 103 This type of scenario clearly could have drastic
security consequences regardless of its cause.
Capability to steal
Inadequate security increases opportunities for those conspiring to steal nuclear materials.
Even the best-developed security system of Russia’s nuclear arsenal is stressed by lack of funds and
vulnerable to insider threat, according to the U.S. National Intelligence Council. 104 Many of the
measures taken by Russian authorities to secure nuclear weapons are not designed to counter threats
that could be posed by insiders – those who know the most about a facility’s vulnerabilities – who
may attempt unauthorized actions. 105
Several authoritative reports, including the U.S. Department of Energy’s Baker-Cutler report,
have documented cases when those with official access to such facilities have either stolen or helped
steal nuclear materials in Russia. 106 In one instance, employees of a civil nuclear facility in the
Chelyabinsk region conspired to steal 18.5 kilograms of weapons-usable material, but were thwarted
by Federal Security Service agents. 107 To date, this has been the only publicly known case involving
enough material for an entire nuclear bomb. 108
103 “Guarsdman Could Have Shot Fellow Servicemen Near Krasnoyarsk Because of a Nervous Breakdown,” Interfax,
February 20, 2003.
104 “Annual Report to Congress on the Safety and Security of Russian Nuclear Facilities and Military Forces,” National
Intelligence Council, February 2002.
105 Ibid.
106 “A Report Card on the Department of Energy’s Nonproliferation Programs with Russia,” the Secretary of Energy
Advisory Board, the United States Department of Energy, January 10, 2001, available 2002 at
http://www.hr.doe.gov/seab/rusrpt.pdf) as of May 14, 2002.
107 Major General Valery Tretyakov, head of the Chelyabinsk Oblast Federal Security Service (FSB), revealed on
December 18, 1998, that FSB agents had thwarted a conspiracy by employees at a major nuclear facility in the
Chelyabinsk region to steal 18.5 kilograms of weapons-usable nuclear material. The theft attempt, and the fact that if
successful it could have caused “significant damage to the [Russian] state” was later confirmed by the Ministry of Atomic
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