New nuclear training centre opens near Krasnoyarsk in move hailed by US

A crucial aim is to stop weapons-grade atomic materials illegally falling into the wrong hands, including terrorist organisations.  

The Siberian centre is the third and final training base completed and commissioned through cooperation between the ministry and the US National Nuclear Security Administration.

'Completion of this training centre strengthens the infrastructure to maintain previously upgraded security systems at Russian Federation nuclear sites,' said the joint announcement.

'The ongoing partnership between the United States and the Russian Federation has produced tangible results towards the joint commitment to secure nuclear weapons and weapons-useable nuclear materials,' said Anne Harrington, NNSA Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation.

'The completion of these regional training centres represents a significant milestone in the cooperative development of an even stronger nuclear material security infrastructure in Russia.'

An aim is to 'secure and reduce weapons-usable nuclear material and to prevent the illicit transfer of nuclear materials', said the US side.

The Krasnoyarsk centre has been set up in close co-operation with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.