MOSCOW. Dec 23 (Interfax-AVN) - Higher security of Atomic Energy Ministry sites and training for the prevention and handling of possible terrorist acts were fundamental areas of the Atomic Energy Ministry's activities in 2002 and will remain so in 2003.
"Two large command post exercises were held this year. One of them took place in the vicinity of Rostov-on-Don, in the Southern federal district, while the other was held near Krasnoyarsk, Siberia," the ministry press service told Interfax- Military News Agency on Monday.
They trained to rebuff an attack on a specialized train and other nuclear sites and how to handle possible negative consequences of terrorist acts. Specialists from the Crisis Center of the Atomic Energy Ministry and units of the Ministry for Civil Defense and Emergencies, the Interior Ministry, the Federal Security Service and other law- enforcement departments took part in the exercises.
According to the press service, the Crisis Center plays an important role in creation of the permanent monitoring system at the ministry's installations. The center's on-duty service is on round-the-clock duty to maintain permanent communication with on- duty officials at the ministry's installations and with corresponding centers of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and foreign states. communication system consists of 20 installations linked through satellite communication channels, 25 installations linked through ground digital channels and 23 installations linked through general-purpose telephone network," director of the center Lieutenant General Venedikt Berchik told Interfax-Military News Agency.
A huge volume of work was carried out in 2002 to introduce the satellite information and communication system designed by the center's experts, Berchik said. A common data network has been created in Russia's atomic energy industry to ensure reliable warning of nuclear breakdowns and coping with their consequences.
The crisis center was established in October 1998. Its developers used the experience of crisis centers operating in the United States and France. In crisis situations, the center urgently notifies members of the atomic energy industry commission for emergency situations and expert groups, as well as monitors the radiation level at the crisis site. The center registers and controls storage and transportation of nuclear materials.
Specialists of the center have taken part in exercises and training sessions that the IAEA held in Argentine, Great Britain, France, Sweden and Finland.