Russia has admitted that an explosion that killed five scientists last week happened during testing of a small nuclear power reactor – as western experts have suspected. The country’s leading nuclear official promised on Monday to succeed in developing new weapons despite the accident in what was thought to have been a failed test of a new missile. Russia’s defence ministry had initially said the explosion, on an offshore platform in the Arkhangelsk region near the Arctic Circle, had happened during testing of a liquid-fuelled rocket engine, and had killed two people.
Independent 12th Aug 2019 read more »
Telegraph 12th Aug 2019 read more »
Guardian 12th Aug 2019 read more »
An explosion at a missile testing range in north-western Russia killed five people working for the state nuclear energy agency and saw radiation levels spike locally, but there is no sign the radiation has spread to Europe. The Rosatom scientists were thrown from a sea-based platform after fuel caught fire at the military facility near Severodvinsk on 8 August, Russian news agencies reported. In a statement, Rosatom said the work was “related to a radio isotope power source”. Observers have speculated it could have been a nuclear-powered cruise missile that Russian president Vladimir Putin spoke of last year.
New Scientists 12th Aug 2019 read more »