Despite significant warnings about sabotage and espionage dangers, the German government has approved Advanced Nuclear Fuels GmbH in Lingen, Lower Saxony, to begin producing advanced Russian-type nuclear fuel assemblies.
1+The company will use Russian technologies and licenses and work directly with Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear corporation under the direct control of President Vladimir Putin. The move plants Kremlin influence at the heart of German territory, despite fierce local opposition and resistance from various officials.
While federal security officials assessed the risk level as low after review and argued that Lower Saxony had no legal basis to reject the application, the state’s Environment Minister Christian Meyer sharply criticized the decision, calling it “fundamentally wrong.”
1+Meyer noted that Ukraine also warned against cooperation with Rosatom, which is directly involved in combat and war crimes, and said he struggles to understand the federal government’s position in the face of hybrid threats to critical infrastructure.