Cold War Legacy: A 17-Year Secret Mission to Secure Plutonium in Kazakhstan
2025-06-03
On the desolate steppe of eastern Kazakhstan, the Soviet Union conducted 456 nuclear tests during the Cold War. Following the Soviet collapse, significant amounts of plutonium-containing waste were abandoned, posing a serious nuclear security threat. Scientists from the US, Russia, and Kazakhstan overcame numerous obstacles in a 17-year, $150 million secret operation to successfully seal this waste with special concrete, eliminating a major nuclear safety risk. This operation demonstrates the potential of international cooperation in nuclear safety, while also highlighting the long-term uncertainties stemming from a lack of transparency.
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