The Russian Federal Security Service announced the arrest of 5 people who tried to smuggle a kilogram of radioactive cesium-137, “to use it to harm Russia’s interests within the framework of the military operation in Ukraine.”
The Communications Department of the Federal Security Service said that, in coordination with the Ministry of the Interior, 5 people were arrested in possession of radioactive material, which they intended to smuggle out of Russia, according to what was reported today, Friday, by the Russian “RT Arabia” channel.
The administration explained that the group was able, in coordination with a Ukrainian citizen, to obtain a kilogram of cesium-137 illegally for $3.5 million.
She added that the group was trying to smuggle radioactive material out of Russia to use it with the aim of harming Russian interests and influencing the course of the Russian military operation in Ukraine by producing weapons of mass destruction and using them to discredit Russia, as she put it.
Cesium 137 causes burns and may lead to death if the radiation level is high, and it can contaminate water and food, and when ingested it spreads in the body, and over time it is excreted with urine, but it takes a long time for the body to get rid of it, so its life cycle is 30 years, which is a time long.
Source : Russian press + German news agency
