Nuclear power and weapons - Spying, Bombs, Science - Russia is Celebrating Nuclear Energy
The massive glass palace with the large letters Atom is the latest attraction in Moscow's Mega-leisure and exhibition park VDNKh. Russia is currently celebrating the 85th "birthday" of the grounds with its pavilions in the style of Soviet classicism. VDNKh stands for Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy, featuring large space exploration exhibitions and architectural temples reminiscent of former Soviet republics such as Uzbekistan and Ukraine. The latest attraction, however, is the Atom Pavilion with seven floors, four of which are underground, where Russia celebrates its love for the atom and nuclear energy as a great scientific achievement of mankind.
It's a journey through time from the beginnings of atomic espionage and uranium mining, including in East Germany, to the construction and testing of the first bombs, the disasters like the Chernobyl catastrophe in 1986, to the present and future. Visitors see how nuclear scientists use technologies today to make food last longer, make seawater usable, and advance medicine. The Atomholding Rosatom's multifaceted propaganda exhibition also presents the new nuclear icebreaker "Leader," which effortlessly navigates through the Arctic on video, aiming to make the Northeast Passage one of the most used shipping routes.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a tour with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in July, spoke of a "grand demonstration of the role of nuclear technologies" in scientific progress and energy security for mankind. "I am sure that the exhibition will inspire many young people to delve into the realm of nuclear energy and technology - for the benefit of future generations and our planet," he wrote in the guestbook. Russia, Modi emphasized, is a key partner in the use of nuclear energy in India.
The material for the Soviet atomic bombs came from the DDR
The Indian guest also sees great "entertainment value" in the pavilion, which begins deep underground with bunker-like halls in dim light. There is a reconstructed German loading station with uranium barrels. It reminds us of the mining company Wismut - but not of the heavy health consequences for the miners and the environment in the DDR. Wismut was once the most important foreign operation of the Soviet Union for uranium mining - for the construction of atomic bombs.
The hall is intended as a kind of tribute to the role of the DDR as a supplier of fissile material during the Cold War. "Tens of thousands of people were involved in the work, extracting around 100 tons of uranium per year!" it says on a sign. Thus, the atomic bomb could be created in the shortest possible time.
Otherwise, the first halls in the deepest basement of the museum are dedicated to the beginnings. A room set up like a laboratory for evaluating espionage photographs tells the story of the great Soviet agents who gathered information in the West - including from the Germans. Klaus Fuchs, a German physicist and communist who worked on the atomic project in the USA and passed documents to Soviet agents, is immortalized here.
Atomic bomb test as a visitor spectacle
Reconstructions of living rooms show how people lived in the USA and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. An area is dedicated to the first Soviet atomic test in Kazakhstan - 75 years ago on August 29, 1949, about 170 kilometers from the city of Semipalatinsk. Through a slot in the concrete, visitors look out onto a steppe landscape from which a colossal atomic mushroom cloud rises into the sky after the explosion.
Detailed attention is also given to nuclear physicist Andrei Sakharov, who, like the similarly honored US physicist Robert Oppenheimer, warned of the dangers of nuclear weapons. In a small cinema, an interview with Sakharov plays, who transformed from one of the inventors of the Soviet hydrogen bomb to one of the country's most important human rights activists. In the center of a hall, a model of the Tsar Bomba, a hydrogen bomb with unprecedented explosive power at the time, also hangs.
However, the world's second-largest nuclear power also remembers numerous nuclear disarmament treaties, now history, in one of its halls. Kremlin chief Putin, in his conflict with the West over the war in Ukraine, repeatedly points to Moscow's potential for weapons of mass destruction in a threatening tone. At the same time, he warns of a new arms race and calls for new international security treaties. However, talks with the USA about this are not in sight.
Advertising for Nuclear Energy
While pride in weapons is evident in many places - models of rockets and a walk-through atomic submarine model are on display - it becomes clear above all that Russia is promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy, the construction of new power plants, and the future city of Atomgrad, which is already on display here as a model, complete with a pop song with the lyric "Our atomic love, our atomic love".
In addition to new nuclear power plant models, old visions of an atomic car and helicopter are given space. Russia presents itself here as a partner for other countries in the construction of nuclear power plants. More than a dozen countries receive nuclear fuel from Russia, which is one of the largest uranium producers. This is the antithesis to the farewell from nuclear power in Germany, which often meets with incomprehension in Russia.
The atomic pavilion, built in six years, shows the great future of Russia, says Alexander Novak, deputy prime minister responsible for energy issues. Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachov must almost officially speak of the "best technical museum on the planet", which expects millions of visitors alone in the first year. For schools, there are labs, a library, science competitions, and internships. And the pavilion includes conference halls for scientific conferences, an ultra-modern cinema where a science film festival is currently taking place, and a large rooftop restaurant with a terrace offering a view of part of the vast VDNKh grounds.
The Russian government showcases various aspects of nuclear energy, including its use in energy production and NASA's space exploration, within the Atom Pavilion. However, the exhibit also highlights the role of the Soviet Union in uranium mining, particularly in East Germany, as a crucial source for atomic bombs during the Cold War.
Despite promoting peaceful uses of nuclear energy, Russia's pavilion also displays a pride in its nuclear weapons capabilities, with models of rockets and a walk-through atomic submarine on display. This contradiction between nuclear energy for peace and weapons of mass destruction suggests a complex relationship with nuclear technology in Russia.
