Russian Customs Authorities Detect Illegal Export Attempt of Scrap from Decommissioned Nuclear Submarine to China

[Image source=Russian Federal Customs Service (FCS) website/http://customs.ru]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] A local company in Vladivostok attempting to export scrap metal from a dismantled Russian nuclear submarine to China without government approval has been caught. Russian customs authorities stated that the scrap metal cut from the nuclear submarine hull could be used to manufacture weapons and poses a significant risk of military secrets being leaked, leading to the company's criminal prosecution.

According to the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti on the 29th, the Federal Customs Service of Russia (FCS) announced that on the 25th, the Far East Customs of Russia caught a Vladivostok-based local company trying to export 106 tons of scrap metal cut from a Russian nuclear submarine to China without official permission. The company, registered in Vladivostok in 2018, attempted to ship the scrap metal in four containers to China. Initially, the company had declared to customs authorities that it was exporting general scrap metal to China.

The company purchased the scrap metal cut from the nuclear submarine hull through an auction and was found to have used another company's permit fraudulently to participate in the auction. The hull of a nuclear submarine itself contains military secrets and can potentially be reused to manufacture other weapons, so its export without government approval is strictly prohibited. The FCS has filed criminal charges against the company, but the nationality of the company was not disclosed.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.