Russian nuclear waste dumped off Sweden

Russian nuclear waste dumped off Sweden

www.thelocal.se

The Russian military is suspected of having dumped chemical weapons and radioactive waste off the Swedish island of Gotland in the beginning of the 1990s, according to Sveriges Television (SVT).
[...]
The chemical weapons and radioactive material is reported to have come from the vast Karosta naval base in the Latvian city of Liepaja.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Personally, I am disgusted with this but, sadly, not surprised.
After the Soviet Red Army left the Baltic states, enviromental destruction was deliberate and commonplace.

If the dumped material would be damaged in any way, the already fragile ecosystem in the Baltic Sea will have its final "death sentence".

More info and links below...

www.thelocal.se
(visit the link for the full news article)

Idiots.

That's way too close to home. Don't sh*t in your own nest.

The Americans have the right idea. Dump it off the coast of Somalia!
They don't even have a government to do anything about it.

If confronted by armed locals, label them pirates and terrorists.

The Karosta Naval Base in Leipaja was one of the major naval installations of the Soviet Baltic Fleet.
Now, like every other abandoned Soviet "military cities", it is a scar on the landscape and left to decay in silence.
Latvian documentary: Karosta: Life After the USSR


News in Swedish

Documentary in Swedish: Uppdrag Granskning

The source of the Swedish documentary is a former employee of the (now disbanded) Swedish intelligence bureau IB, known for the infamous IB affair.
He says that he is making a cardinal error by leaking this information, but he can't deny the moral obligation to tell the public about this outrageous crime.
Other information gathered in this case comes from the Swedish Military Intelligence, MUST and their most secret department, KSI. Interviewed is also a member of the Latvian intelligence bureau SAB (no URL-link available).

The material dumped is radioactive material (probably from nuclear powered ships and submarines) and chemical weaponry; VX, Sarin and others.
Dumping of mustard gas canisters and ammunition from the first and second world wars were common during the 50's and 60's but during this time, there were no legislations against maritime dumping. These dumpings, on the other hand, occured during the 90's and are totally illegal (no brainer really).

Right now, the Nord Stream gas pipeline is being built across the Baltic Sea, but it is not supposed to affect this area. However, there is a fiber-opic communications cable being drawn, dangerously close to it.
One false move and we will be in one hell of a pickle!

The dumping is in violation of SOLAS and, furthermore an intrusion in the Swedish Exclusive Economic Zone.

An unconfirmed source (in the documentary) tells that one of the crew onboard the ship involved in the dumpind said: "Here is a little present to the Swedes!"
Thank you, you dirty bastard!

Otherwise, information on this case is hard to find. Most people involved seems to have "forgotten" about it.
But, many parts of the Swedish government might have known about it, such as the Foregin Ministry and the Defense Ministry. But for some reason it never went public and no measures were taken. Why?
It is said that the cost for any "clean up" would be tremendous and too complicated, and, that no-one could be held responsible.
So the barrels will just be there. Erroding. Waiting to spill its lethal load.
Just great...

On a side-note:
U-boat U137 or S-363, known from the incident outside the Swedish naval base of Karlskrona in 1981, was stationed at Leipaja...

Yeah Raud! this is a total disaster!

They should be forced to clean up every bit of waste they dumped, if not! - we should cancel the agreement about the Northstream pipeline to germany!

Oh man! this crap just breaks my heart!

The Baltic sea just recently showed signs of some recovery through some testing - and now this!

Idiots!

Thiers a documentary i saw years ago, on history channel, about on the blatic sea, where the russians abandoned thier nuclear powered submarines...wonder if this is the same place. something like 50 miles of land is literally contaminated and radioactive, so much in so, the leaves on trees grow back vey un noral, and any plants grwon their for food, WILL be a death sentence.
Technology is a good thing, but as typical, our leaders abuse its power and their own responsabilty. Usually, its too save money. freind of mine years ago, would time to time, at our local beach, see trucks chucking what appeared to be medical waist bags into the ocean beach. So when he left, he and his friend went to check it out, and according to him, they were biohazard bags hospitols use, and had syringes in them. it turns out, hospitols sometimes wanna save costs, disposal. cheaper to pay somoe no name grunt to just toss it somewhere, and on paper, verify it was sent to the incinerator.

reply to post by OZtracized


Well, judging by your name I would say you live in Australia. We breath the same air, and drink the same water. It is only a matter of time before dumping in any water source migrates to foreign territories. Eventually the dump water in Somalia will reach your shores.

Most of the water on this planet has been here since the dinosaurs walked the earth.

reply to post by DaMod


I feel the need to inform you that my entire previous post was meant to be extremely sarcastic.

I know, lowest form of wit etc. but that's just my way of saying that dumping waste in that manner is wrong in so many ways.

I agree with your stance entirely.

Oddly enough, my country disposes of nuclear waste. They bury it a km or so under the desert in one of many places that are uninhabital and a couple of thousand km from anyone. In fact, most of Australia fits this description. Eventually it will make it's way into the Artesian basin but we'll probably suck it dry before then.