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| Schoolchildren wearing gas masks and protective suits participate in a civil defence competition between local schools in Russia's southern city of Stavropol, February 2, 2011 Eduard Korniyenko/Reuters |
Russian President
Vladimir Putin has ordered his Security Council to assess Russia 's
readiness to survive a nuclear, chemical or biological disaster and has told
them to stockpile protective equipment if necessary.
The order was given
during one of Putin's regular meetings with the council that is made up of the
heads of Russia 's
intelligence, defence and law enforcement agencies. High-ranking ministers and
the speaker of the Russian house of parliament are also permanent members of
the group.
According to the
government website, Putin told the council that it was important to review and
potentially strengthen Russia 's
defence protocols against "nuclear, radiological, chemical and biological
threats, both in peacetime, and—God forbid, of course—in wartime.
"We have to
analyse to what extent they correspond to the realities of today and, if the
need arises, make the required revisions," Putin said.
The Russian
president also proposed to the council that Russia should begin developing and
producing personal protective equipment against nuclear, biological or chemical
threats. "In the near future we should set up an inventory of individual
means of protection for citizens, to determine which of them have become
theoretically and technically obsolete, and develop measures to replenish
stocks of such assets in accordance with modern designs," Putin said.
During his address,
Putin used the example of the Fukushima nuclear
power plant disaster in Japan
to illustrate the the need for the new defences. He also said that Moscow should be wary
about the safety of nuclear power plants and businesses that handle toxic
chemicals and make sure that they follow updated procedures to avoid accidents.
According to the country's state nuclear agency Rosatom , Russia
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