MOSCOW, October 31. /TASS/. Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has transferred a series of previously classified top-secret documents to Rosatom on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the nuclear industry. According to the state corporation's press service, the declassification was carefully timed to honor this milestone.
On October 31, 2025, Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev met with Sergey Naryshkin, head of the Russian Historical Society and Director of the SVR. During their meeting, Naryshkin presented Rosatom staff with several rare historical documents that had been classified until recently. This act of declassification aligns with the commemoration of the nuclear industry’s eight-decade legacy.
Among the materials handed over is a 14-page memorandum penned by Igor Kurchatov, which sheds light on the strategic decision-making behind uranium enrichment methods. The memo notes, "The most valuable portion of the materials pertains to isotope separation. The only rational solution is considered to be isotope separation by diffusion through a membrane with small holes. The decision to opt for diffusion rather than centrifugation was unexpected by our physicists and chemists. We widely believed that centrifugation capabilities were significantly superior, and that diffusion was practically inapplicable for separating isotopes of heavy elements. Accordingly, early research focused solely on centrifuge (Lange method) techniques in the uranium project."
The process of declassifying documents related to the Soviet "atomic project" has gained momentum in recent years. Notably, in 2019, SVR transferred documents concerning Operation Enormous to the archives of the Kurchatov Institute, highlighting the pivotal role intelligence efforts played in accelerating the Soviet atomic program.
Likhachev emphasized the significance of these historical contributions, stating, "This year, we celebrate not only the 80th anniversary of the nuclear industry but also the centenary of scientific and technical intelligence in Russia. We, nuclear scientists, will always remember that the Soviet intelligence community’s efforts were crucial in launching uranium research in the USSR. During one of the most challenging periods of World War II, thanks to the dedication of intelligence officers and the brilliance of Soviet physicists, the Soviet atomic project was realized - allowing us to overcome the US nuclear monopoly."
The Russian nuclear industry traces its origins to August 20, 1945, when the Special Committee on the Use of Atomic Energy was established. Responding to US threats, the USSR developed its own nuclear weapons within four years, successfully testing the RDS-1 bomb in 1949.