When the FBI Comes Calling…®

November 27, 2005

Russians fear nuclear expert will spill secrets

By Jason Cato
TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Hardly talked about here, the possible extradition of a former Russian nuclear energy minister to face federal charges in Pittsburgh makes the national news every few days there, observers say. That's because many Russians are convinced the United States is after Yevgeny Adamov for the secrets he harbors, not the laws he allegedly broke.

"The Russians clearly have a very deep anger about this and feel like we're abusing our relationship," said Marshall Goldman, associate director of Harvard University's Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies. "They believe once we get our hands on him, he'll reveal all their state secrets. ... They see this as a return to the Cold War."

Adamov, 66, was visiting his daughter in Bern, Switzerland, in May when he was arrested at the request of the U.S. government, which claims he stole $9 million of U.S. Department of Energy money intended to improve safety at Russian nuclear plants.

Some of that money, prosecutors say, ended up in bank accounts in Pittsburgh, where Adamov owned two businesses with Monroeville resident Mark Kaushansky, 53.

The men are charged with money laundering, tax evasion and conspiracy to defraud the United States. Adamov faces up to 60 years in prison and a $1.75 million fine if convicted. Kaushansky faces up to 180 years in prison and a $5 million fine.

Attorneys for both men say their clients are innocent.

Like all defendants in the federal court system, Adamov has three options: maintain his innocence and take his chances at trial, plead guilty but refuse to cooperate with the U.S. government, or plead guilty and cooperate. The third option would be rewarded with the least amount of time in jail.

"He may choose to cooperate because he'd save his own skin," said Douglas McNabb, senior principal partner with McNabb Associates, a global criminal defense group with offices in Washington, D.C., Houston, London and Milan. "If I was Russia, I'd be incredibly worried that Mr. Adamov could disclose national security secrets the United States did not know about and confirm ones the U.S. suspected."

Adamov, a nuclear physicist, headed the Research and Development Institute of Power Engineering, one of Russia's largest nuclear engineering and technology centers, from 1986 to 1998. He was appointed Russia's nuclear energy minister in 1998 by then-President Boris Yeltsin and was dismissed in 2001 by President Vladimir Putin over allegations of corruption.

Adamov returned to work as a leading scientist at the institute.

Russian prosecutors filed fraud and abuse of office charges against him in May, shortly after he was arrested in Switzerland.

Given his extensive knowledge of the Russian nuclear energy program, Adamov possesses enough nuclear security secrets to cause a diplomatic meltdown, said Nikolai Sokov, a senior research associate with the Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Monterey, Calif., and a former employee of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Should Adamov reveal everything he knows, Sokov said it would be the most serious breach of nuclear security in Russian or U.S. history.

"This could completely shut down cooperation between Russia and the United States on the safety and security of fissile materials," Sokov said.

Many speculate that the U.S. is interested in Adamov's knowledge of the nuclear programs in Iran, China and North Korea. Sokov doesn't think there's much that Adamov could reveal that the U.S. doesn't already know. The real damage could come if Adamov discloses secrets about Russia's nuclear weapons program, including design information and operation details.

U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan in Pittsburgh has heard the rumblings coming out of Russia.

"I am familiar with the concerns that some individuals in Russia have raised, but there is no merit to those concerns," said Buchanan, adding that Adamov is being prosecuted "solely for violating federal laws in the Western District of Pennsylvania."

Buchanan and a U.S. delegation working on the case traveled to Moscow in October to meet with Russian prosecutors. Buchanan would not say what was discussed during the trip.

Yevgeniy Khorishko, spokesman for the Russian embassy in Washington, said the government is aware some Russians fear the U.S. action against Adamov is motivated more by a desire for intelligence than justice. He called that fear "pure speculation." The only official statement from the government is that Adamov should be extradited to Russia, not the United States, Khorishko said.

"We should have priority," he said.

A Swiss lower court disagreed in October when it ruled in favor of the U.S. extradition request. Both countries now are awaiting a decision on an appeal filed with the Swiss Federal Supreme Court. A ruling could come in January, said spokesperson Michel Vogelsang.

Adamov is being held in a Swiss jail. His attorney, Lanny Breuer, of Washington, D.C., did not return calls seeking comment for this story.

Kaushansky is free on $100,000 bond. He entered a plea of not guilty in U.S. District Court on May 17. No trial date has been set.

Kaushansky moved to the U.S. from the Soviet Union in 1979. From 1985 to 1997, he worked as a nuclear power plant engineer for Westinghouse Electric Corp. in Pittsburgh, according to the indictment. Kaushansky and Adamov met in the early '90s while Kaushansky was acting as an interpreter for Westinghouse, the indictment states.

The indictment states that Adamov and Kaushansky formed two companies -- Energo Pool Inc. and Omeka Ltd., a consulting firm, both of which had offices Downtown. The firms have since closed.

McNabb, who is not involved in the case, said he doesn't believe the U.S. has ulterior motives for wanting Adamov. But the fact Adamov could be prosecuted and divulge intelligence secrets is a win-win for the United States, he said.

That victory could cost more than it's worth, said Sokov.

"It's like a hot potato in your hands. You want it, but it's too hot to handle," he said. "This case is only valid if the U.S. limits interrogations to the specifics of the case.

"Personally, I think the U.S. has a problem there -- because the potato is so hot. So much so, they may prefer not to handle it at all."