Year
2002
Abstract
Aspiration to creation of the safe world, strengthening nonproliferation of nuclear weapons, questions of security and illegal trafficking of nuclear materials and radioactive substances through the borders of various states, the possible threats of nuclear terrorism and sabotage on nuclear objects, the tragedy of September 11, 2001 in the US have made the task of joint efforts of the world community to be taken in order to strengthen international cooperation in this sphere as one of the first priorities. It was once again underlined at the special session at the IAEA Symposium on International Safeguards in November 2001 that the risk of terrorism has not only the threat coming from potentially hazardous country but may come also from groups of extremists or religious people or individuals. Declaration of the symposium outlines the directions of improving and strengthening account, control and physical protection of nuclear materials among the basic problems connected to assurance of safety and security of the world. Since mid 40th last century when the former USSR launched the soviet nuclear program the system of maintenance of physical protection and security was based on conditions of high political stability inside the USSR, practically total control of the population, prime financing of the nuclear industry, high level of reliability of the personnel at the nuclear sites supported with high earnings and prestigious of work. However, the changes in Russia after disintegration of the USSR have created in the country conditions, which the former physical protection system as well as accounting and control system were not designed for. The new conditions in Russia requested reconsider an overall strategy and concept of NM accounting, control and physical protection (NMPC&A). The government through the designated federal organizations placed much effort for the last 10 years to create new regulatory bases for NMPC&A, to develop a new concept and new requirements, to request nuclear facilities to meet these requirements, to establish licensing mechanism and inspection infrastructure. Accepted in Russia in 1995 the Federal law on use of an atomic energy requests establishment of NM accounting and control state system at the federal level and implementation of physical protection of nuclear materials, radioactive sources, substances and wastes. Development and revision of regulatory documents that define all aspects of NMPC&A is one of the major tasks in Russia and the regulatory agencies, including Gosatomnadzor, nominated by the Russian government are working with this tasks. This paper provides information on trends and prospective of the NMPC&A regulatory program in the Russian, some results of inspection activities, the measures that have been taken to strengthen security of nuclear facilities after September 11,2001 events.