Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov reported to the Russian President and cabinet members on the exercises on the Kola peninsula

Saturday, June 6, 2020

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Observers from most NATO countries attended the exercises, he noted. In his words, the goal of the exercises was to practice transportation of nuclear materials and elimination of consequences of the attack on the convoy. "A super-container used to transport nuclear materials was hit by grenade launchers, ditched and sunk," the minister said. NATO observers positively assessed the exercises, he added. "Unlike NATO colleagues who attended our exercises in the Murmansk region, representatives of the Russian Defense Ministry have seen nothing from the alliance's arsenal of the protection of nuclear materials from terrorists," Sergei Ivanov stressed. "However, we expect to see NATO similar anti-terrorist means next year," he continued. According to the minister, Russia has already been invited to similar alliance exercises. "This invitation was a condition of NATO observers' presence at the Russian exercises Accident-2004," he said. Such exercises are held in Russia every year, however, NATO observers attended the 2004 exercises in the Murmansk region for the first time, the Defense Minister added. "However, we have never admitted and shall not admit them to our nuclear ammunition. The familiarization of our partners with security systems and elimination of consequences of possible nuclear accidents is quite another matter," Sergei Ivanov emphasized. Russia is interested in participation in nuclear security maneuvers only in the U.S., Great Britain and France, he noted.

Bookmark Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov reported to the Russian President and cabinet members on the exercises on the Kola peninsula