Putin Reshuffles Atomic Ministry Again

Two months after Russian President Vladimir Putin buried the former Ministry of Atomic Energy within the Ministry of Industry and Energy, he signed a new decree May 20 reshuffling the nuclear boxes once more, pulling the agency out of the bureaucracy and putting it directly under the executive’s supervision, most likely through the prime minister’s office. (See ACT, April 2004.)

Although many of the operational details remain unclear, the proposal won a warm reception from the head of the Atomic Energy Agency, Alexander Rumyantsev, who commented in Russian news reports, “I think it’s very positive.”

Putin’s earlier decision to move the agency to the larger ministry caused some concern in Washington that it would affect bilateral nuclear threat reduction programs, particularly U.S. access to Russian nuclear facilities. It also worried analysts because U.S.-Russian cooperation had been improved through the close relationship between U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham and Rumyantsev.

This latest reorganization has raised hopes that the previous diplomatic channels and arrangements will be resumed.

Minatom, the predecessor agency of the Atomic Energy Agency, was in charge of producing and storing civilian and defense nuclear materials, as well as the development and testing of nuclear weapons and the elimination of excess warheads and munitions.