Vladimir Putin signed Executive Order “On Organizing Federal Government Oversight in the Field of Nuclear and Radiation Safety for Nuclear Weapons and Military Nuclear Energy Facilities and in the Field of Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials, Nuclear Facilities and Nuclear Material Storage Posts at Nuclear Facilities.”
The Executive Order approves the Provision on federal government oversight in the field of nuclear and radiation safety.
It also vests authority in the Russian Federation’s Defense Ministry to carry out government oversight in this field of organizations fulfilling orders in the interest of ensuring national defense, whatever their form of incorporation or ownership.
Source: Executive Order on government oversight in the field of nuclear and radiation safety and nuclear material protection http://eng.kremlin.ru/acts/6660
Russian officials at the Ministry of Defense via telephone refused specific comment in this situation, however did confirm they “had oversight in the filed of ensuring the national defense and security interests of the Russian Federation, which include nuclear weapons…”
Russian defense officials adamantly refused to discuss what remain “unconfirmed reports” dealing with undetected smuggling of weapons-usable nuclear material has likely occurred, and we are concerned about the total amount of material that could have been diverted or stolen in the last 15 years.
See report and letter from Congressman Ed Pastor: CIA’s hunt for missing Russian suitcase nukes in 2003 https://groundreport.com/cias-hunt-for-missing-russian-suitcase-nukes-in-2003/