In 1993, Novaya Gazeta reporters posing as a foreign buyer’s representatives were offered uranium pellets, plutonium plates, and a Soviet SS-20 nuclear warhead

In a 1993 investigation, Novaya Gazeta reporters posed as representatives of a foreign businessman and found dealers who claimed they could supply nuclear materials and a Soviet SS-20 warhead. The reporters described the trade as evidence that private buyers could seek nuclear weapons in Russia, while warning that publishing names and locations could help someone exploit the information.

The article says the two-month investigation uncovered a network dealing in rare materials, often stolen from state facilities, though many traders were fraudsters. Reporters were offered uranium pellets, plutonium plates and a warhead, but the available text does not establish that the offers were genuine or that a sale was completed. The story is being republished as Novaya Gazeta’s archive, including every print issue since 1993, becomes freely searchable.