YABLOKO’s activists conducted an action against nuclear
waste imports from Germany into Russia by the German Embassy
in Moscow today. YABLOKO
has been consistently opposing the plans of the Russian government
to import nuclear waste for procession and storage stating
lack of transparency and control, corruption and terrorists’
threats.
YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin and Executive Secretary
of YABLOKO’s Political Committee Galina Mikhalyova handed
to representative of the Embassy Kirsch York YABLOKO’s address
to the German government calling to abrogate the decision
of exporting German nuclear waste into Russia.
It is planned that 951 fuel slugs from a research nuclear
reactor from Rossendorf near Drezden will be sent to Novouralsk,
Russia. Such a decision was adopted by the regional government
of the Saxony Land.
Ten YABLOKO’s activists held in front of the Embassy a map
with a route of transportation of the hazardous load styled
as a battle-field map. The map showed a yellow radioactive
arrow crossing several Eastern European states and the European
part of Russia and targeting the Novouralsk city. Special
signs marked the sources of potential threat to the hazardous
load: corruption, forest fires and terrorists. The map is
abundant of such signs. YABLOKO’s activists stated that “the
Russian authorities can not guarantee safe transportation
of the waste across Russia, as well as their storage, processing
and further storage.”
YABLOKO’s activists with improvised chemical defence equipment
held placards “Radioactive waste? Thank you, we don’t need
it,” made in two languages - Russian and German. One of the
activists in a yellow cloak played the role of a radiation
victim.
“The goal of our action is not to allow for nuclear waste
imports from Germany to Russia. We think that such imports
will be fatal for Russia’s environment,” Sergei Mitrokhin
told to journalists. He also stressed that “processing of
this waste will end in radioactive contamination of the Chelyabinsk
region”.
“A terrible disaster already happened at Mayak plant in 1956.
The territory and water reservoirs around the disaster site
are still contaminated,” he added. Mitrokhin can not rule
out more such disasters if Russia will import and other countries
export nuclear waste.
Representative of the Embassy Kirsch York came to the activists.
Sergei Mitrokhin and Galina Mikhalyova handed him YABLOKO’s
address to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and German two
federal ministers – Economic Minister Reiner Bruederle and
Minister of Environment Norbert Ruetten – with a request to
abolish nuclear waste imports into Russia. According to German
laws, the federal government has the right to veto the decisions
adopted by the lands governments.
See also:
Nuclear
Safety
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