MOSCOW (AP) - Guards at nuclear facilities in Russia have been ordered to fire warning shots at environmentalists who try to break into the premises, the nuclear energy minister said Saturday.
Alexander Rumyantsev said there had been several efforts recently by environmental groups to break into nuclear facilities to prove that it's possible to steal nuclear materials, according to the Interfax news agency.
"I'm afraid that if the 'Greens' persistently try to enter guarded nuclear territories, it could end tragically," Rumyantsev said.
Guards at nuclear power plants and other nuclear facilities have been instructed to "open fire for effect" if their demands are ignored, he added.
Environmental groups and U.S. and other international officials have expressed concern about the security of Russia's nuclear facilities since the 1991 Soviet collapse left many of them starved for funding.
Rumyantsev's comments came two days after his ministry announced it was considering plans to build a burial facility for nuclear waste on the Arctic archipelago of Novaya Zemlya, prompting criticism from environmental groups. Novaya Zemlya has been used for testing Soviet and Russian nuclear weapons.