. "International Aspects of Creating a State System for Countering Illegal Circulation of Radioactive Materials in the Russian Federation." Terrorism: Reducing Vulnerabilities and Improving Responses: U.S - Russian Workshop Proceedings. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2004.
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Terrorism: Reducing Vulnerabilities and Improving Responses - U.S.-Russian Workshop Proceedings
To facilitate further consideration of matters related to cooperation among the structural components of the system, plans for the first stage of the project call for creating a model district in the Moscow region as an element of the system for countering the illegal circulation of radioactive materials. A possible structure for such a model district is presented in Figure 1.
A fundamental component in the creation of a state system for countering the illegal circulation of radioactive materials is the development of devices for their detection, location, and identification and the provision of such instruments to the structural components of the system. Taking into account the special requirements inherent in the use of such devices, Minatom has created and tested models appropriate for stationary and mobile use. They may be categorized by intended use as follows: (a) handheld gamma and gamma-neutron monitors and similar devices for concealed installation for the detection and location of radioactive materials and (b) portable spectrometric devices for the identification of radioactive materials.
The draft statute pays special attention to the question of creating a well-developed information system on matters related to combating the illegal circulation of radioactive materials, including a number of central and agency-specific databases. In creating such systems, Russia also deems it expedient to propose that the international community examine the question of joining forces and coordinating the activities of all interested countries.
The main goal of creating a model district and subsequently implementing other elements of the draft plan is to facilitate the development of a federal system of preventive measures for combating nuclear and radiological terrorism. In this regard, Minatom proceeds from the belief that the problem cannot be resolved through a division of efforts by the various agencies but rather requires federal coordination.
International cooperation in countering nuclear and radiological terrorism is an objective necessity. In this area, there are problems demanding the unification of international efforts and the coordination of activities. In our opinion, these fundamental problems include
addressing matters related to the detection of nuclear materials
equipping law enforcement agencies with the necessary technical means and providing general and technical training for their personnel
dealing with organizational, legal, and other aspects of incident response
In dealing with all these problems as well as other matters, we feel it is necessary to create a joint working group operating under conditions of confidentiality.
We note that any form of terrorism presents a special threat to cities, with even greater consequences in national capitals. In this regard, creating a model
