According to information received by the SVR, relevant ministries in one of NATO's key member countries have expressed concern about ongoing research in Germany focusing on nuclear weapons development" - TASS reported on July 20, citing a statement from the press office of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).
According to the SVR, Germany's Western allies are also concerned about the scale of its research in important fields related to nuclear weapons, including advanced material science, shock wave physics, nuclear physics and neutron physics, with the participation of 30 universities in Germany.
These schools include the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Ruhr Bochum University, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, RWTH Aachen University and Berlin University of Technology. Practical experiments are being conducted at 6 research reactors operating at these facilities" - SVR added.
According to a statement from the Russian intelligence agency, NATO officials in Brussels also mentioned the meticulous approach and close coordination between German agencies in developing technology for the production and manufacture of high-energy explosives and electronic detonation systems.
Leading defense companies of this country - Rheinmetall AG, Diehl Stiftung GmbH, KNDS Group and Umarex GmbH - are all involved in this work. Materials and equipment are regularly tested at German Army shooting ranges" - SVR said.
The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service also noted that, according to NATO military experts, Germany can produce the necessary fissile material itself within 1-3 months and manufacture a nuclear explosive device that can operate for 1 year without comprehensive nuclear testing.
SVR expressed concern about this development, and suggested that German authorities may be considering creating their own "nuclear block".
