MOSCOW. July 10 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia has not had any reserves of weapons-grade uranium of its own for several years now, Leonid Ivashov, chairman of the Great-Power Party of Russia, told journalists in Moscow on Thursday.
"The Russian leadership signed a contract with the U.S. a few years ago to sell nearly all of its weapons-grade uranium, and still keeps this deal under wraps," said Ivashov, former chief of the Defense Ministry's Department for International Military Cooperation. Information about the amount of weapons- grade uranium is secret in this country. But in experts' estimate, Russia's reserve is as large as that of the U.S., which has accumulated 550 tonnes of weapons-grade uranium since World War II, he said.
He said the weapons-grade uranium sold to the U.S. has not yet been taken out of Russia and, under the contract, most of it will be stored in Russia.
A large open storage facility is being built in Chelyabinsk to house these materials, Ivashov said.
Lev Maksimov, director of the Institute of Physical and Technical Problems of Metallurgy, said the storage facility does not fully meet safety standards.
"But since 1995 when construction began, Gosatomnadzor, the state nuclear safety inspectorate, has not been involved in monitoring this project, he said.
He added that this storage facility is not protected from the effects of modern weapons.
Both politicians said that a commission should be set up to probe into the deal.