On Aug. 8, 2019 the explosion took place in the Russian military training ground near Severodvinsk city of Arkhangelsk Region of Russia. Reportedly the explosion was the result of failed launch of “reactive liquid engine”. It caused the death of 5 persons, 3 persons are in the moderately grave condition.
However, the incident is much more serious than it was supposed.
Due to the request of Russian military command, the waters which adjoin the explosion area are closed for shipping till Sept. 10, all entrance and exit routes from Severodvinsk and Sarov cities are fitted with dosimetric posts. According to local residents, the injured persons were taken from the training ground by militaries, equipped with radiochemical protective uniform; ambulances also were equipped with screening cover. The drug stores of Severodvinsk and Arkhangelsk face lack of iodine that is used to protect human body from ionizing rays.
The information about the severe accident following failed rocket launch near Severodvinsk had been revealed on Aug. 8, but Aug. 11 was the day the obscure rumors were confirmed during the press-conference of the Russian Federal Nuclear Centre’s representatives. In particular, Andrei Chernyshev, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences confirmed that the explosion happened during the test of new weapon, this test has been arranged since the summer of 2018. Mr. Chernyshev also indicated that the explosion of small-size reactor, also called as “part of engine of military item”, was the reason of scientists’ death and radioactive burst.
Despite the shocking frankness of the press-conference speakers, they did not still bring themselves to acknowledge that the explosion was the result of failed launch of “Burevestnik” missile, created by Ekaterinburg-based engineering plant “Novator”. The essential feature of the project is nuclear engine and almost unlimited distance of flight (it was mentioned during 2018 annual message of Russian President).
Obstinate reluctance of the Russian top officials to comment the incident in Severodvinsk and unexampled measures of security, increasing panic of local residents signify that it was not an average failed launch of missile from the training ground near the North Sea, but a severe and large-scale radioactive accident with no information about damage area and the size of nuclear elements, ejected to the atmosphere.
The examples of such radioactive accidents are well known: following Kyshtym disaster in Soviet Union in 1957 large Ural territories became contaminated and uninhabitable. Thousands of people lost their homes, the number of cancer illnesses increased extremely. Later Chernobyl catastrophe shocked the world. However, the position of Russian government is still the same – the government tries to hide the information about the real size and even the fact of radioactive accident.
It makes Russia a menace to the world security, because there is no way to control the expansion of radioactive elements in the nature and it is impossible to predict, which country will suffer radioactive fallouts – will it be Finland, Sweden or Norway?
Secret tests of weapons, which have nuclear components, is extreme violation of international law by itself. Concealing the information about such accidents is the crime against world ecology and presents a real danger to life and health of the other countries’ citizens.
