Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, we’ve heard that their nuclear material (from radioactive material to completed bombs, of which they had thousands) is not been properly held secure and could be sold to anyone.
Has any material been sold? To what buyer(s)? Has any such been used? even for blackmail?
Have their guards gotten fat bribes? Have their nuclear scientists and technicians found juicy employment? If not why not?
Talking means, motive, and opportunity here.
A lot of the U.S. government’s funding for physics research is targeted at expat Russian physicists, for the purpose of making sure that they have gainful employment. An employed nuclear scientist is a lot harder to bribe than is one whose family is starving.
Several disturbing incidents are described here:
There was alarming speculation about suitcase bombs back in the late '90s.
I must stress I consider the link above to be an outlet of crackpots, but the article itself contains facts about Lebed’s testimony, and is current.
Has there been any report of Russian (or any) nuclear material turning up anywhere, especially being used?
No A-bombs, no dirty bombs, no stick-some-uranium-under-someone’s-bed, no threats thereof, no saves by the CIA, no blackmail, no nothing? No reports of Israel or India or China stocking up? or North Korea? or evil millionaires?
How about con games, where someone could sell bin Laden some uranium that turned out to be lead, for instance? (really not part of the OP, stretching here).
It’s funny, the cites make it sound feasible for local crooks and opportunists to steal some if they’re motivated, and it’s been years.
Maybe thieves have tried it and they’ve all irradiated themselves to death?
"Has there been any report of Russian (or any) nuclear material turning up anywhere, especially being used? "
The 5 ounces of uranium seized in Turkey in 2002 was said to be from russian stocks.
Sorry to hijack the discussion but have you read Fredrick Forsythe’s excellent novel Avenger? I’ll put the relevant part in a spoiler box since it happens late in the novel.
The novel theorizes that just before 9/11 the CIA tried to get UBL with this very technique. They set up a scheme with an ex-warlord from Serbia who supposedly left Belgrade with a bunch of plutonium. They were going to get him to offer it up so UBL could buy it and in the process be exposed enough that a cruise missile could find its way to his ass.
It was a very plausible and fascinating scheme and I know I’m not describing it all that well. But Fredrick Forsythe tells it nicely, so if you’re interested pick up a copy of Avenger to see how it plays out…
Well, now that the restrictions against the Lybians are being dropped, maybe I could gut a few pinball machines and sell them to the Lybians as nuclear weapon parts.
Ok, I’ll stop.