In the early morning of 21st July, neo-nazi skinheads launched a vicious and unprovoked attack on an anti-nuclear protest camp in Angarsk, Siberia, Russia ( see map ). The nazis violently attacked activists in their sleeping bags and tents with iron rods, knives and air pressure guns. 21 year old Ilya Borodaenko from Nachodka suffered a head-fracture during the attack and later died in hospital from his injuries. At least nine others have been reported to be seriously injured, one of which has had both their legs broken. Tents were set on fire and several belongings were stolen.

The camp had started the week before and was aimed at protesting against a planned centre of uranium enrichment in Angarsk. Ever since the arrival of the activists, the police tried to intimidate them and have entered the camp in an attempt to gather information about planned actions. The organisation who planned the camp, the 'Ecological Wave of Baikal', had planned various rallies in the surronding area to inform locals about the plans and drum up support for the campaign.

Although the protesters knew about the planned attack and had organized night guards, they were much too few to stop the attack. Police said at least 15 assailants raided the camp at the Yelovskoye Reservoir near the city of Angarsk occupied by a group of 21 protesters against reprocessing of nuclear waste at a local plant. The attack on the camp happened at 5.10 am Moscow time (1.10 am GMT) on Saturday. Recent police statements have mentioned that two attackers have been arrested, and at least 13 others have been identified. An investigation was started and according to mainstream sources the police believe the reason for the attack was that they wanted to 'rob the activists', no political motive to be seen (because they found some things that belong to the activists when they arrested the attackers). One of the first contact with the police when people arrived to set up the camp was for them to illegally arrest ten people on 14 July. All of them were released after a few hours but faced intimidation and had their fingerprints taken. Various complaints have been made about the conduct of police earlier on in the week, who entered the camp in an attempt to gather information about planned actions.

Nuclear Storage

Ros-Atom (the state agency for Russia’s nuclear industry) has plans to establish an International Uranium Enrichment Centre (IUEC) at the Angarsk uranium enrichment plant (AUEP) to supply fuel to Russian and other nuclear power stations. The site is within the boundaries of the town of Angarsk, 30 km. from Irkutsk and 100 km. from Lake Baikal, which is the world’s deepest lake and classed by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee as one of the World Natural Heritage Sites. With neither a buffer safety area nor radiation-control zone, campaigners say the new proposals pave the way for another nuclear disaster. One of the main points of debate is that of the storage of nuclear waste. As Russia will produce uranium fuel for a load of nations, it will be obligated to reclaim the spent nuclear fuel once it is burned in foreign reactors. Especially as many countries have no or little nuclear storage space of their own. According to the 'Ecological Wave of Baikal', at present, waste in the form of depleted uranium hexafluoride (DUH), produced as a result of uranium enrichment, is kept at the Angarsk plant in storage casks in the open. Ros-Atom fails to answer critical questions: How much depleted uranium has already been amassed at the plant? (they describe this information as being a “commercial secret”). How long is it planned to store DUH? What would be the possible consequences if all the containers were to become depressurized (as in the case of an accident or terrorist attack)? How much waste will be accumulated at the plant with the establishment of the International Centre?

The 'Ecological Wave of Baikal' is one of a few groups who continue to ask questions and in doing so have gathered an ever increasing number of supporters within the local community. “We declare a decisive no to Rosatom’s plans to build the International Uranium Enrichment Centre in Angarsk, no to illegal imports from abroad of radioactive waste in the form of uranium tailings to the Angarsk Electrolysis Chemical Combine,” reads a resolution issued by the No to Chernobyl at Baikal assembly which took place in Irkutsk last December, drawing some 150 people. Eight thousand signatures have already been collected in support of the movement. Read the full articles.

The G8 Deal

The international centre at Angarsk will give access to atomic technology to a large number of countries which they have previously not possessed. How did the plans for this International Uranium Enrichment Centre (IUEC) become about? Suprise, surprise, it has come to light that the first agreement about the creation of a network of international centres for the enrichment of uranium (ICEUs) was reached at last summer’s meeting of the G8 in St Petersburgh. See G8 2006 page. On Putin’s initiative, it was decided that the first such centre would be built in Russia on the site of the Angarsk uranium enrichment plant (AECC), which produces enriched uranium hexafluoride - which is put to further use for producing nuclear fuel. In fact, the creation of the centre gives the AECC a whole new status. What kind of uranium is going to be enriched at the centre is unknown. Presently, Ros-Atom only has a single partner in Kazakhstan. In 1996 Russian and Kazakhstan created the joint uranium mining venture “Zarechnoe,” and it is assumed that uranium from there will be enriched in Angarsk. Other potential partners in the International Centre are Japan, India, Iran, and African nations said Vladimir Servetnik, deputy general director of Tenex, Russia’s nuclear fuel monopoly. He also said that “productive negotiations” were underway with South Korea. As the deal has been made at the G8 summit last year, it is no surprise that the United States gave their mark of approval to the Russian-Kazakh initiative ealier this year.

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