Russian Nuclear Scientists

Institute Hosts Leading Russian Nuclear Scientists

 

Dr. Georgi Rykovanov (left) and Dr. Evgeny Avrorin of the Zababakhin Russian Federal Nuclear Center discuss nonproliferation issues at an Eisenhower Institute workshop.

WASHINGTON-From April 22-24, The Eisenhower Institute hosted Dr. Georgi Rykovanov, Director of the Zababakhin Russian Federal Nuclear Center (VNIITF), and Dr. Evgeny Avrorin, Scientific Director of VNIITF. For their visit, the Institute organized a workshop that addressed topics such as how both sides could improve bilateral cooperation on the so-called Nunn-Lugar programs run by the US Department of Defense and Department of Energy, the conversion of Russian military projects to peaceful applications, and US-Russian cooperation in the counterterrorism effort. In addition, the Institute arranged a series of meetings that included visits to the Nuclear Threat Initiative and The University of Maryland to discuss US-Russian cooperation on a wide range of nonproliferation issues.

Dr. Rykovanov and Dr. Avrorin are Russia's two leading nuclear scientists and are frequently called on to advise Russian President Vladimir Putin. VNIITF is located in a closed city the heart of the Ural Mountains in Snezhinsk, Russia. During the Soviet era, Snezhinsk was only a "mailbox number," but after the end of the Soviet period it was given the unremarkable label of "Chelyabinsk-70." Both during the Soviet period and today, it is regarded as Russia's top nuclear weapons design facility.

Following the meetings, The Eisenhower Institute and VNIITF released a joint statement in a Memorandum of Understanding that affirms the intentions of both organizations to develop a framework for cooperation that will facilitate continued work on the issues discussed. Institute President, Susan Eisenhower, concluded the meetings by thanking Dr. Rykovanov and Dr. Avrorin for traveling to the US and expressed her enthusiasm for the work that both the Institute and VNIITF would be engaged in over the coming months.