Number: 261 Topic: Threat posed by Fissionable Material <desc> Description: Does the availability of fissionable material in the former states of the Soviet Union and its susceptibility to theft, pose a real and growing threat that terrorist groups/terrorist states will acquire such material and be able to construct nuclear weapons? <narr> Narrative: Under the terms of the strategic disarmament treaty with the U.S., the states of the former Soviet Union have been dismantling 2000 warheads each year. From each warhead a shiny sphere of plutonium is extracted. These spheres, called "pits", are the elemental cores of a bomb. In addition, other forms of plutonium are scattered over the former Soviet Union in institutes, laboratories, plants, shipyards and power stations. Disgruntled employees, who are often underpaid or paid irregularly have access to the plutonium. This worries leaders in other countries. Enriched uranium, an alternate fuel, is harder to come by because it is stored in well-guarded military facilities, but it is easier to turn into a bomb. The Russians have denied that it came through or from their country, but German authorities believe that it did. Any item which speaks to failures in the safeguarding of nuclear material or to black-market operations in nuclear material, or to efforts of terrorist groups or terrorist states to acquire such material would be relevant.