Russia's Ocean Dumping of Radioactive Waste - 1960s-2020s

Russia's Ocean Dumping of Radioactive Waste - 1960s-2020s

During the Cold War, from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, Russia (then the Soviet Union) dumped approximately 18,000 pieces of radioactive waste into the Barents Sea and the Kara Sea in the Arctic Circle. These included nuclear submarines and nuclear reactors, which seriously affected the ecosystem of the surrounding waters. Due to the lack of waste management at the time, environmental protection awareness was extremely low.

In 1993, it was discovered that approximately 900 tons of liquid and solid radioactive waste had been dumped off the coast of Vladivostok. In response to this problem, the international community demanded improvements from the Russian government based on the Law of the Sea Convention, and after that year, intentional dumping at sea was stopped. However, the environmental impact of past dumping continues over the long term.

In the 2000s, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Russian government began monitoring waste in the Arctic. A new radioactive waste storage facility was built in St. Petersburg to facilitate the transition to aboveground disposal. At the same time, concerns about the spread of radioactive materials from the waste left in the ocean prompted neighboring countries to strengthen their monitoring systems.

In the 2010s, technical tests for geological disposal and a waste salvage project in the Arctic Circle progressed. In particular, while progress was made in recovering abandoned nuclear reactors and nuclear fuel, it was pointed out that the Arctic sea ice was shrinking and the risk of expanding the area affected by the waste had been identified. For this reason, environmental impact assessments became even more important.

In the 2020s, research and monitoring of past waste impacts on marine ecosystems and human health will continue. In addition, international radioactive waste management norms need to be strengthened, and the planned release of contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant has aroused further debate.

The dumping of radioactive waste into the ocean by Russia is an environmental problem that has continued since the Cold War era and continues to attract the attention of the international community. Appropriate waste management and international cooperation continue to be required to prevent further environmental damage.

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Sources
1. International Atomic Energy Agency, "Marine Environmental Impact Assessment
2. Greenpeace "Nuclear Waste Dumping in the Arctic Ocean
3. official document of UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
4. official statement of Ross Atom
5. minutes of the Arctic Council
6. scientific journal article "Radioactive Waste Management in the Arctic