[lbo-talk] Vladimir Putin: Russia Must Remain Nuclear Super-Power

[Chris Doss]

Rosbalt
July 31, 2003
Vladimir Putin: Russia Must Remain Nuclear Super-Power

NIZHNI NOVGOROD, July 31. Russia must remain a nuclear super-power. This was
announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin today in Sarov (Nizhni 
Novgorod
Region). As a Rosbalt correspondent reports, the president visited the
Russian
nuclear energy centre, met several nuclear physicists, got acquainted with
the work of the centre and generally gave a high appraisal of the
technology and
capability of the Scientific-Research Institute of Experimental Physics.

'As one of your colleagues said, all of our work is exported,' Mr Putin 
said.
'In order to limit the number of importers, we must remain a nuclear
super-power.' He added that 'Russia has accepted many legal restrictions on
testing
nuclear weapons,' the president said. 'However, this should not affect the
work
of the nuclear centre.' Mr Putin promised that the salaries and legal rights
of nuclear physicists would be reviewed and also assured them that certain
administrative problems would be resolved.

The Russian Scientific-Research Institute of Experimental Physics was 
founded
in Sarov in 1943. The first Soviet nuclear bomb was put together at the
centre as well as the first ever hydrogen bomb in the world, designed under
the
leadership of Andrei Sakharov, the famous Russian academic.

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