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Putin Says Military Base Blast Occurred During Weapons Test, But Holds Back
On Details

RFE/RL

   Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the Aug. 8 accident at a
   northern military base occurred during a test of a weapons system, but
   he added that he could not reveal everything about the incident for
   security reasons.

   Speaking Aug. 21 during a visit to Finland to meet with his
   counterpart, Sauli Niinisto, Putin said all services monitoring
   radiation were working and that radiation levels were normal, adding
   that the same applied for neighboring countries.

   He added in his wide-ranging remarks that it was important for Europe
   to start sharing information on such accidents in the future.

   The accident in the northern Russian region of Arkhangelsk, which
   killed at least five people and injured several others, raised concerns
   of atmospheric contamination after emergency officials reported a spike
   in background radiation levels.

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