Radioactive materials from Germany for Russian army firm? | EUROtoday

The commerce in radioactive substances between Russian corporations and a gas aspect manufacturing facility in Lower Saxony continues. Loud SWR Deliveries are apparently additionally deliberate to an organization that cooperates intently with the army.

Despite the conflict of aggression towards Ukraine, additional transports of radioactive materials between Germany and Russia are apparently deliberate. This is what analysis by the SWR consequence. Accordingly, “up to five” transports of radioactive materials from the gas aspect manufacturing facility in Lingen, Lower Saxony, to a Russian firm have been authorised by Dutch authorities.

The goal of the deliveries is an organization that’s stated to have shut ties to the Russian army. The permits are there SWR earlier than. The background is that these transports are to be dealt with by way of Rotterdam. Two cargo ships are heading to SWR-Information for this between Saint Petersburg and Rotterdam or Dunkirk in France.

Uranium from Russia can be usually delivered to Lingen by way of this route. This is Russian uranium, which is utilized in France and Lingen, Germany, to provide gas rods for nuclear energy crops.

In the current case, in line with the Dutch paperwork, “uranium-containing products” are to be delivered from the Lingen gas aspect manufacturing facility to the MSZ Machinery firm in Elektrostal close to Moscow.

The Russian army firm MSZ

The MSZ firm is engaged on it SWR-Research instantly for the Russian army. Radioactive materials is reprocessed within the manufacturing facility halls round 50 kilometers east of Moscow. In an organization video, a senior worker explains: “After processing, the nuclear engineers receive uranium oxide […]. It is used to build atomic bombs and as fuel for nuclear power plants.” According to unconfirmed studies, the plant will even produce gas rods for nuclear submarines.

Environmental activist and former Navalny worker Alexej Schwarz has researched the corporate: “MSZ has a license to use nuclear energy for defense purposes, to produce nuclear weapons and nuclear energy systems for military purposes. Any connection with Rosatom is an investment in Russian nuclear weapons .” He calls for: “Germany should stop cooperation immediately.”

The Lower Saxony Ministry of the Environment is, amongst others, liable for the supervision of the Lingen gas aspect manufacturing facility. Environment Minister Christian Meyer explains that cross-border uranium transports are regulated by the federal authorities and the EU. His arms are due to this fact tied.

But he clearly criticizes: “Russia's nuclear sector in particular is closely linked to the criminal war of aggression against Ukraine and the military use for atomic bombs. Instead of exchanging uranium, radioactive material or nuclear fuel rods with Russia, the EU should also impose sanctions on the nuclear sector, as Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck demanded several times.”

So far no EU sanctions within the nuclear sector

The SWR has requested the accountable federal authorities and ministries for an opinion on the transports from Lingen to Russia. Essentially, everybody refers in unison to the EU. Since there are at present no EU sanctions towards Russia within the nuclear sector, uranium transports can’t merely be banned.

The Federal Environment Ministry, amongst others, writes: “The European Union decides on the further development of the sanctions against Russia. In general, in the BMUV's opinion, it is a necessary consequence of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine that European dependence on and business relations with Russia in the civil and to reduce or discontinue the nuclear sector.”

According to the Federal Environment Ministry, such deliveries from Lingen to MSZ in Russia have already taken place prior to now.

“Stooge of the Russian defense industry”

Anti-nuclear organizations and environmentalists in Lingen sharply criticize the deliberate transports. With the deliberate exports, the gas aspect manufacturing facility in Lingen is popping right into a handmaiden of the Russian arms business, says Julian Bothe from the group “broadcast”. “The uranium from Lingen is at risk of being used in Russian nuclear weapons and in the Russian Navy's nuclear submarines. The requested uranium exports therefore clearly violate German and European sanctions rules,” says Bothe.

Alexander Vent has been protesting towards the gas aspect manufacturing facility for years with the native residents' initiative AgiEL. “The Lingen region is already becoming the focus of Russian interests because of the fuel element factory. The fact that military entanglements are now being added to this situation is further aggravating the situation. The federal government must put an end to this activity and finally close the fuel element factory.”

The proprietor of the gas aspect manufacturing facility in Lingen, Lower Saxony, the French firm Framatome, continues to conduct a brisk uranium commerce with Russian state-owned corporations. The firm doesn’t deny that exports from Lingen to Russia are additionally deliberate.

However, the timing is open: “Framatome meets European and state requirements and complies with all international sanctions.” No particular transport dates could be given; there are “currently” no uranium transport deliberate from Lingen to MSZ.

Uranium commerce continues

In the gas aspect manufacturing facility in Lingen, Lower Saxony, gas rods for nuclear reactors are manufactured from Russian uranium, amongst different issues. For this function, uranium is usually delivered by ship from Russia, even in the meanwhile. The deliberate exports are as follows SWR-Information about “radioactive production residues” which might be to be reprocessed in Russia.

At the EU degree, there have lengthy been requires the nuclear sector in Russia to even be sanctioned. So far this has at all times failed as a result of veto from Hungary. But France can be thought-about an opponent of sanctions due to its shut “nuclear ties” with the Russian state-owned firm Rosatom. The MSZ firm in Elektrostal belongs to a subsidiary of Rosatom.