nuclear

We have been believing that Iran is “five years” from the nuclear bomb. In reality we only know how much uranium enriches

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Few phrases have been as repeated in the geopolitics of the West as “Iran is five years from the nuclear bomb.” For more than three decades, we have heard predictions that place the Iranian regime on the verge of crossing the atomic threshold, a stopwatch that restarts again and again without the prophecy becoming fulfilled. The real problem is not so much what we know about Iran’s nuclear program, as the immensity of what we do not know. And it is in that fog of uncertainty where the most dangerous decisions are cooked. A diffuse red line like Casus Belli. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has initiated a war against Iran framed in which the regime is “close to finishing the construction of a nuclear bomb.” This language transforms an old threat into an immediate danger, turning the rhetorical red line into a justification for war. Although the United States initially denies direct participation in the attack, political and military support has gone in crescendo. A Message of President Donald Trump In capital letters, “Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon!”, It works as a blank check for Israel. Thirty years of breached predictions. When a suspicion, and not an evidence, they are a reason for war, it is worth reviewing the newspaper library to put rhetoric in perspective. The feeling of “imminent nuclear bomb” in Iran is not new. It is a political construction that has been managing for decades, with Benjamin Netanyahu as its main architect. In 1992, Netanyahu already warned that Iran was “three or five years” to obtain nuclear weapons. In 2012, he starred in one of his most iconic moments at the UN, drawing a red line with a marker In a cartoon scheme of a pumpand ensuring that they would cross the line in the summer of 2013. Each period has been fulfilled without the weapon becoming materialized. What do intelligence agencies say. Although Israel had in the United States its main political ally, US intelligence agencies did not buy their rhetoric about Iran. In 2007, the National Intelligence Estimate De la CIA concluded with “high confidence” that Iran had stopped its nuclear militarization program, the AMAD Plan. The verification of this break came in 2015 with the Comprehensive Comprehensive Plan Joint (JCPOA), an agreement by which Iran limited uranium enrichment to 3.67% in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. The break that caught the fuse. Paradoxically, the withdrawal of the United States of the JCPOA in 2018, driven by the same rhetoric of the “imminent bomb”, caused the response that was intended to avoid. Iran began to enrich uranium at unprecedented levels: first 20% and then 60%, drastically shortening the theoretical deadlines for the pump and triggering the current crisis. Despite this, there are no evidence, beyond the expansion of enrichment plants, that Iran have the necessary technology or develop those weapons. Although, in honor of the truth, it is logical that there are no, since most of the activity is underground. Faith jump between enrichment and nuclear bomb. To understand how “near” Iran of the nuclear bomb is, you have to differentiate two key processes. The first is the fuel: the enrichment of uranium, the visible part of the process. It is about increasing the concentration of the fistible isotope 2 35 of the uranium from the 0.7% natural to 90% (the arms degree). Thanks to the withdrawal of the JCPOA, Iran accumulates a large amount of 60%enriched uranium. And moving from 60 to 90% is a technically feasible leap within a few weeks. However, Having the fuel is not having the enginewhat Anglo -Saxons call “weaponization.” A set of incredibly complex steps to convert the fistible material into a functional eye that can be mounted on a missile. They have to convert the uranium of arms degree, which is a gas, into a metal sphere. They have to surround that sphere with high precision explosives that have to detonate simultaneously in microseconds to compress the nucleus and start the chain reaction. And all this, in a package small and light enough to fit in the eyes of a missile and survive the launch. This is where we enter the field of almost total uncertainty. We know that this will investigated with the AMAD Plan, but its current progress is unknown. However, nobody knows it with certainty because intelligence on underground activities is very difficult to obtain. What we know with certainty. Despite decades of sanctions, sabotage, selective murders of its scientists and cyberbrains (like the famous Stuxnet, which destroyed uranium centrifuges), the Iranian nuclear program has not only survived, but has become stronger and more self -sufficient. Iran designs and produces its own advanced centrifuging. In fact, Israel’s main objective is to destroy the Fordow plant, that Iran built under a mountain to make it invulnerable to air attacks. In parallel, Iran has developed the largest and diverse ballistic missile program in the Middle East, and a fleet of trucks ready to shoot them. This resilience demonstrates that technical knowledge is deeply institutionalized in the regime, which is why Israel has eliminated those responsible for the nuclear program, as well as Iranian launches. At the same time, each Israeli attack can reinforce the conviction in Tehran that the pump is the only guarantee of survival, a fish that bites the tail, accelerated by Netanyahu’s rhetoric. They will go in the North Korean mirror or Pakistan. Beyond the rhetoric of the West, two countries offer key lessons about Iran. North Korea built its nuclear program to ensure the survival of the regime. Isolated and economically devastated, He saw the bomb as his only insurance policy against a overthrow imposed by the United States. The sanctions and pressure only reinforced their determination. Pakistan followed a strategic imperative. It sought to neutralize the military superiority of India. When India tried her bomb in 1974, the Pakistani bomb became a matter of national survival. Iran is a hybrid and more complex case. Share the survival … Read more

A US nuclear power plant was going to close after running out of subsidies. Mark Zuckerberg has taken the opportunity to keep it

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Training large models of artificial intelligence consumes so much energy that technology companies are “appropriate” of nuclear power plants. Goal saves a nuclear power plant. Goal, the Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp matrix, He has just signed an agreement which symbolizes paradigm shift. The company led by Mark Zuckerberg has saved a nuclear power plant that had the days of a 20 -year contract. Constellation Energy Corp., the largest nuclear operator in the United States, will supply 1,121 megawatts of energy from its Central de Clinton, in Illinois, directly to the target data centers. The contract will begin in mid -2027 and will be in force until 2047. It is not a casual date. 2027 is when the state subsidy that kept the Clinton nuclear power plant. To understand it you have to rewind 10 years until 2017. At that time, the Clinton Power Station, like so many other nuclear centrals in the US, was on the tightrope. Unable to compete with the low prices of natural gas and the rise of renewables, its then owner, Exelon, threatened to close it. Only an intervention in extremis From the Illinois government, which approved a 10 -year subsidies package, the oxygen ball it needed. A Big Tech knocked on the door. Finally, it will be a technological giant, in full boom of generative artificial intelligence, which stays with the Illinois Central. Total goal consumption It has been quasite Between 2019 and 2023. Training and operating generative AI models requires giant data centers running at full performance 24 hours a day. This is where the main weakness of renewable energy sources is shown, such as photovoltaic or wind solar: despite being a key piece of the stark strategy of technology companies, their intermittency makes them an insufficient option. Nuclear energy, with a massive and stable supply, complete the puzzle allowing companies to maintain their commitments to be neutral in carbon emissions. Goal is not alone. The goal is the last one, but it is not an isolated case. Rather, it is the confirmation of a strategic trend that has been consolidated in the last two years. Technological giants have gone from signing energy purchase agreements with renewables to actively seek the stability of atomic energy. In a movement similar to Microsoft, Microsoft signed an agreement with Constellation for Reactivate Reactor 1 of the Three Mile Island Central (famous for the accident of your reactor 2). The Central, which had been closed in 2019, now feeds the Azure data centers for AI. Amazon Web Services has moved directly to a nuclear power plant. In March 2024 bought for 650 million dollars A gigantic data center adjacent to the Susquehanna plant, in Pennsylvania. The agreement guarantees 960 MW of direct energy for its AI operations. Image | Constellation Energy, Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) In Xataka | Japan’s energy gauge: after trying to become independent from its nuclear, it has had to back down

Japan expired its nuclear power plants after Fukushima. He has just reversed with a overwhelming law

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14 years after Fukushima disasterJapan has pressed the reset button in its nuclear policy with a new law that It has just come into force and will allow the nuclear reactors to operate beyond 60 years. Energy Pendulazo. Behind him 2011 disasterJapan imposed a strict limit to the useful life of nuclear power plants: they could operate for 40 years, with a possible extent to 60 years if they exceeded rigorous security tests. Now, that barrier has vanished as a solution to the energy challenges facing the country. Stop the clock. The law introduces an ingenious formula To extend the useful life of Japanese nuclear centrals: the periods in which a reactor has been inactive due to “unpredictable circumstances” will now not count in their operating age. This includes stops for security reviews or judicial suspensions, provided they are not due to a negligence of the operator. The clearest example is that of reactor 1 of the Central de Takahama. Inaugurated in 1974, he is the oldest in the country. After Fukushima, He was standing for about 12 years. With the new law, that time “does not count”, which would allow it, in theory, to continue working until 2047, reaching a useful life of 72 years. Of course, the new law is accompanied by a strengthening of supervision. The reasons for change. The 180 degree turn in Japanese nuclear policy responds to a perfect geopolitical storm. The Russian invasion of Ukraine shook world energy markets, evidencing the dangerous Japan dependence on imported fossil fuels. On the other hand, the government provides for a massive increase in electrical demand promoted by artificial intelligence and the manufacture of semiconductors, two strategic sectors for the future of the country. As a fourth world economy and fifth CO2 issuer, Japan has the ambitious objective of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Nuclear energy, free of direct emissions, is now an indispensable tool to achieve it. The new Japanese energy mix. The road map is clear: Japan aspires to Renewables are the main source of energy By 2040, but nuclear energy will play a fundamental role. For that same date, the country expects atomic energy to represent about 20% of the country’s energy supply, a gigantic leap from 5.6% of 2022. Image | Hirorinmasa (CC by-SA 3.0) In Xataka | The largest nuclear power plant in the planet is a beast with seven reactors. Is ready to return after Fukushima

That is why he has sealed a 20 -year commitment to nuclear energy

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Goal, the giant behind Facebook and Instagram knows that artificial intelligence (AI) does not feed only on language models. It also needs energy, a lot and stable. That’s why has sealed an agreement 20 years with constellation energy to supply nuclear electricity Apart from your data centers in the United States. It does not seem a symbolic gesture or a green bet for the gallery: it is a calculated play to shield its infrastructure and maintain the pulse of AI development in an increasingly competitive world. The movement is not less. Technology has reached an agreement for the nuclear plant Clinton Clean Energy Centerlocated in Illinois, feeds its data centers in the region from 2027. It is a reactor that was planned to close in 2017 after years of financial losses, but that could continue to function despite the challenges. According to the Menlo Park headquarters, the agreement will allow the facilities to be kept, preserving more than 1,100 jobs. The nuclear enters the goal solution for finishing The company’s investment will also help make the necessary improvements to increase energy production by 30 megawatts, reaching a total capacity of 1,121 megawatts. It is not clear what percentage of the electricity produced will use the technological giant to boost its AI infrastructure, But it is known that current production reaches about 800,000 American homes. While the energy demand of data centers grows exponentially, the technology industry seeks solutions that do not compromise or Supply stability nor its environmental commitments. In that context, nuclear energy has reappeared as a viable alternative: does not emit carbon dioxide during generation and offers constant production, unlike renewable sources such as solar or wind, which depend on variable climatic conditions. Goldman Sachs had already anticipated This turn. In a recent report, the Investment Bank warned that, if the AI ​​adoption rhythm is maintained, the energy demand linked to this technology could be multiplied by 160 from here to 2030. To maintain that growth, it will be necessary to build between 85 and 90 gigawats of new nuclear capacity in the United States. And that is where nuclear energy comes into play as a high performance solution and low carbon footprint. This goal bet is not isolated. Google has advanced in the same direction With agreements like the one who maintains with Kairos Power, a company that develops Modular reactors (SMR) up to 500 megawatts. Amazon has also taken the step and has signed several agreements to boost the construction of these Small and advanced reactorsincluding projects with Energy Northwest, Dominion Energy and the Startup X-Energy, which works in new generation rapid reactors. Nuclear energy is not free of challenges. Its infrastructure remains expensive and concerns about safety and waste management are still present, especially due to the legacy of previous technologies. But the new generations of reactors, such as SMRs, promise to address many of these obstacles: with safer designs, shorter deployment times and potentially more contained costs. For companies as a goal, the priority seems to be to guarantee a long -term energy supply, without shocks and with the least possible carbon footprint. The agreement with Constellation Energy reflects that reality, but remains to be seen if these plans materialize as planned. It would not be the first time that such a project is complicated: In 2022, one of its previous attempts In Idaho It was pause After detecting the presence of a rare species of bee in the field for infrastructure. Images | Goal | Constellation In Xataka | World record in nuclear fusion: German Reager Wendelstein 7-X has broken all records

The undercover operation of Ukraine has left an irreparable hole for Russia. Its nuclear deterrence has jumped through the air

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If they had told us that a fleet of trucks disguised as mobile houses was going to enter Russia in a covert operation of a year and a half, and that after that time a swarm of more than 100 drones would attack with surgical precision several air bases of Moscow, we would not have believed it. However, and beyond A mission That seems more typical of a Hollywood film, the operation has meant a hole for Russia that can hardly be replaced in the short term. A letter clue In negotiations. Unprecedented. It We count yesterday. On June 1, 2025, Ukraine carried out the greatest operation with war drones to date, launching 117 drones against at least four Russian air bases in a coordinated attack that had as its direct objective the backbone of Russian strategic aviation: its long -range bombers. Until then, the Ukrainian attacks on these platforms had been sporadic and limited to a single location, but this blow, simultaneously executed against Belaya, Olenya, Dyagilevo and Ivanovo, says A radical change in the Ukrainian capacity to penetrate deeply in Russian airspace and degrade key strategic assets. Figures While there is still uncertainty about the exact number of destroyed or damaged aircraft, Ukraine claims to have impacted At least 41 aircraftwith 13 of them completely destroyed, including bombers Tu-22m3, TU-95msan early alert plane A-50 and possibly a TU-160 Blackjackthe most sophisticated bomber in Russia. An irreplaceable fleet. The importance of these bombers is not only in their conventional offensive capacity, but Its nuclear role within the Russian strategic triad. If the Ukraine figures are confirmed, the damages would be equivalent to a loss of the 10% of the force TU-95ms operational, for example, an alarming percentage considering that these aircraft have no immediate replacement. The TU-95ms, designed in the fifties and produced until the early nineties, It has been modernizingbut its value is more strategic than monetary. In the case of TU-22m3, another relic of the Cold War, its current use has been marked by devastating bombings with KH-22 missiles converted, causing Large number of deaths civilians in Ukraine. The loss of several of these airplanes greatly complicates their replacement. For its part, the TU-160the only one of these models still in production, represents a minimal fraction of the fleet and each unit costs more than 500 million dollars. Plus: Build new It has been for years and requires an industrial infrastructure diminished by sanctions. Your 22m3 Blow to nuclear deterrence. The Ukrainian attack, by Its scope and precisionnot only neutralizes short -term attack capacity, but also weakens Russia’s credibility as nuclear power. These bombers constitute the most flexible part of their Dysuasoria triadnot only for its role in conventional conflicts, but for its ability to launch nuclear missiles from remote distances. In addition, they also fulfill symbolic functions, patrolling the airspace of Europe, Asia and even approaching Alaska’s environment As a sample of force. The loss of aircraft in this sector undermines that projection. Moscow has repeatedly argued that attacks on its strategic abilities represent a red line, but so far it has not responded proportionally To attacks that have been growing in scope and intensity. This operation, however, marks An climb difficult to ignore. At 50u Structural vulnerability. The attack has also clearly exposed the persistent vulnerability of the Russian aviation on land. Although defensive measures implemented from previous attacks (such as aircraft dispersion, anti -explosive wallsreinforced shelters, models painted on tracks and wings tires To confuse drone guidance systems), the infrastructure has not achieved Protect airplanes whose large size even prevents them from protecting them completely. In fact, they were used junk aircraft Like lures, but none of that avoided the damage. The anti -aircraft defenses installed in the bases have been insufficient once again. The dispersion of bombers to remote places such as Olenya or Belaya intended to complicate Ukrainian attacks, but failed to avoid a huge scale and precision. Doctrinal change and a threat. Also We count widely yesterday. The Spiderweb Operation Not only demonstrated the technical capacity of Ukraine to infiltrate enemy territory with small and cheap drones, but also an emerging war doctrine focused on saturate and erode assets clue. This tactic not only damages expensive equipment with economic means, but it forces Russia to deploy even more Resources in static defensereduces its operational freedom and generates constant uncertainty. While Moscow launches nightly hundreds of drones against Ukraine, kyiv showed that he can strike back at unthinkable distances only one year ago. And it also does it with tools that evolve: the use of drones with improved countermeasures is expected, artificial intelligence To avoid The Jamming and the elimination of the human pilot in real time, which will further difficult to detect and neutralization. Putin and invulnerability. Bloomberg had Another leg that must be analyzed after the attack. Beyond the exact count of destroyed airplanes, the mission has shaken the Kremlin environment. The internal reaction itself has been alarm, anger and recognition of a scenario so far unthinkable: that nuclear assets can be legitimate and effective white from a country that No nuclear armament. Although the number of bombers needed to attack Ukraine is limited and Moscow could maintain its rhythm of envestidas, the underlying message seems clear: there is no territory Absolutely safe. This perception directly affects the Force projection that Putin has cultivated for two decades and erodes his rhetoric of strategic supremacy. The nuclear triad, touched. We said it at the beginning. Long -range aviation is the smallest component (and now, more damaged) Russian nuclear triadalso composed of intercontinental and strategic submarine ballistic missiles. Although bombers are frequently used in conventional missions, they are also part of the global deterrent gear. Its symbolic character as nuclear projection instruments add a layer of gravity to the attack. Even if its operating role within the nuclear arsenal is secondary to missiles or submarines, the perception that they can be neutralized from the interior of Russia represents that doctrinal change … Read more

If something did not need the Ukraine War it was to enliven the conflict in an occupied nuclear power plant. Russia thinks different

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The paradox of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe is that it has been closed for three years and everyone wants to “open.” Without going far, the United States was the last nation to hint that it would be delighted to restart her. The problem is that it is in Ukraine, although Taken by Russiaand in the middle of a war whose end does not stick. Moscow knows that he has an energy pressure tool, but some satellite images have revealed much more. The space betrays. The story took this week The New York Times. Through new satellite images analyzed by Greenpeace and verified by the American environment, it has been revealed that Russia is building more than 80 kilometers of electric lines in the south busy of Ukraine with the aim of connecting the Zaporiyia nuclear plant to its own energy network. Covert reopening. This maneuver, until now without Russian official confirmation, represents the clearest signal until the intention of Moscow’s intention to reactivate and exploit the largest central in Europe, forcibly in the first bars of the invasion. Although its six reactors were gradually turned off (the last in 2023) for security reasons and due to nearby fightingRussia seems determined to return it to operationchallenging the warnings of international experts that consider that operating it under these conditions would be a nuclear risk first order. The Russian Plan seeks surround the current damage In the old 750 kilowol lines that connected the central with the Ukrainian network, two of which are going through areas under Kyiv control, and two others that have been useless or deteriorated by the war. Unprecedented use. If specified, this would be the First time in history in that a power at war restarts and uses an occupied nuclear plant for its own energy benefit. Russia, through the state Rosatom, has openly shown Your ambition: its general director He said recently that the dream of reactivating Zaporiyia is still alive and that there is already a technical plan to return the plant to full capacity. The Russian intention does not seem to maintain territorial control of the complex, but to integrate it directly into the national electricity network, possibly and According to the Timesconnecting it with the Russian region of Rostov, which would require even more infrastructure. As we said at the beginning, the United States proposed a peace plan that included the return of the plant to Ukraine under international management (specifically American), In an attempt to avoid its use as a geopolitical tool. Russia He rejected sharply said option. Various risks. No doubt, we don’t talk about simply pressing the “ignition” button. In fact, the possibility of reactivating the central has awakened alarms Among nuclear experts. Since his shot, much of the Ukrainian technical staff has fled, leaving the plant No qualified operators. In addition, the Kajovka dam hole months ago (widely attributed to Russia), it eliminated the main source of water from the reactor refrigeration system and spent fuel, raising thermal and fusion risks in case of a failure. For its part, the Minister of Energy of Ukraine He warned that any Russian unilateral attempt to restart reactors could have unpredictable consequences. To all this is added The possibility of sabotage, military attacks or operational failures in a plant already located in an active combat zone. The consequences of a nuclear escape would not be limited to the region: the impact on the environment, human health and the energy stability of Europe would be unpredictable (and possibly devastating). A high voltage piece. As we have coming countingthe status of the Zaporiyia plant has become a power sheet in the peace negotiations. While Russia progresses (slowly) in her Technical reconnectionThe United States and its allies press to include their status in the terms of any future solution. The satellite images Recent, which reveal transmission lines advancing near the town of Shevchenko and towards a key substation linked to the complex, confirm that Moscow not only wants to retain control, but to turn the plant into a Active source of energy for your network. If you want also, snapshots from space reveal a deeper strategy: to consolidate the economic and energy control of the territories occupied as part of a Possible post -stroke. However, any attempt by Moscow to reactivate the plant without international consensus not only defies the rules of war law, but also brings us an unpublished threshold of nuclear insecurity. Image | Planet Labs, Via Greenpeace In Xataka | The largest nuclear power plant in Europe has been closed by the war in Ukraine. Now the United States wants to reopen In Xataka | We already know a hole that Russia has left in Ukraine: the Chernobil shield is still open and there is no money to close it

brings us closer to a nuclear spatial war

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The antimisile shield that Donald Trump wants to put in the land orbit has triggered a forceful reaction of the Kim Jong-un regime. The word is Nuclar. The North Korean Foreign Ministry has described the Golden Dome project as “the height of arrogance and arrogance”, according to North Korean state media. The Pionyang cabinet accuses Washington of being “determined to militarize the outer space,” and warns that the initiative It could trigger “a global nuclear and spatial arms race”, turning the earth’s orbit into “a potential nuclear war field.” What is the Golden Dome. An antimile shield that, despite its name Inspired by Israel’s iron domewould use multiple layers of detection and interception “by land, sea and space”, including a network of sensors and interceptors deployed in orbit, such as a satellite constellation. So ambitious is the project that, as announced by Trump and its Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegesh, would mean a “generational investment.” The White House has spoken of 175,000 million dollars over three years to be operational before 2029. The Congress Budget Office estimates that only space interceptors could cost up to 542,000 million dollarswith a two -decades deployment period. The promise is ambitious. A shield capable of demolishing hypersonic, ballistic and cruise missiles, even if they are thrown from the other side of the world or from space, in all phases of attack. Technology would be based on both existing systems and new developments. According to Reuters, a consortium led by Spacex, Palantir Technologies and Anduril Industries leads the race To display detection satellitesbased on the Starlink constellation. The hypothetical armed satellites for missile interception from space are the technologically most challenging and mysterious part of the project, among other things because they would have to be resilient to attacks with anti -attack weapons, that several powers have. An armed space. North Korean critic of the Golden Dome resonates with China’s, which Last week he expressed His “serious concern” for the “strong offensive implications” of the American antimile shield. Beijing accuses Washington of seeking “absolute security for itself” under a “United States first” policy, which “undermines global strategic balance and stability.” However, countries such as China and Russia have also advanced positions in the militarization of space, with satellites that pursue other satellites, secret deployments and spy spy airplanes. Image | White House Archives (2019) In Xataka | Russia, China and North Korea have hypersonic weapons. The US has decided to defend itself with its own iron dome

In 1971 the Soviet Union decided to end the droughts. So he started throwing nuclear bombs into the rivers

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The story took place in the 1970s, when the Soviet Union launched one of the most ambitious and far -fetched engineering projects in its history: diverting the course of the great Siberian rivers so that, instead of flowing towards the Arctic, they would transport its waters to the arid regions of the south, such as Central Asia and the south of Russia. The problem was the solution to achieve it: they turned to “Pacific” nuclear explosions To dig colossal channels. The impossible epic. As we said, to carry out such a plan, Soviet planners did not spare in extreme methods. The most emblematic episode was the experiment called Like “Taiga” of 1971, in which three equivalent nuclear devices To the Hiroshima bombs They triggered simultaneously underground to create a channel that connected the basins of the Ríos Pchora and Kama. What happened? That the only thing was the known today Like Nuclear Lakea body of still radioactive water in the middle of the boreal forest, and an ambitious dream that ended up being a monumental failure. Despite the use of low -fission explosives, The detonations They were detected until In Sweden and the United Statesunleashing international convictions for violate the treaty of partial prohibition of nuclear tests. Soviet logic. The idea of redirect rivers It was not really new: already at the end of the 19th century, thinkers as Igor Demchenko They dreamed of flooding the depressions of the Caspian and the Aral to improve the climate. Under Stalin and, later, during the Cold War, the project acquired A new impulse. For the Soviets, the immense water flow that flowed to the uninhabited north was an intolerable waste. On the other hand, taking it to the south could make Central Asia an agricultural vergel, save the dying Aral Sea and, incidentally, affirm the Soviet power over the Central Asian republics. With the support of almost 200 scientific institutes and dozens of thousands of peoplechannels of up to 1,500 km were planned to divert 10% of the water from the OB and Irtish rivers to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Inspired by feats like Roman aqueducts and convinced that man had submit to naturethe leaders planned to complete the titanic work For the year 2000. The fall of the hydraulic myth. However, the magnitude of the project caused an unprecedented reaction. During the 80s, the opposition of scientists, writers and intellectuals became one of the First environmental campaigns massive in the history of the USSR. Figures like the hydrologist Serguéi Zalyguin They denounced not only the exorbitant cost and the low scientific support of the plan, but also the iEcological mpactos Catastrophic that would bring: climatic alterations, loss of unique habitats, flooding of cultural sites, and even possible changes in Siberian ice formation. The final blow came with the sadly famous Chernobyl disaster In 1986. The tragedy, which evidenced the risks of nuclear power Badly managed, he diverted resources and political attention, and just four months later, Mikhail Gorbachov formally canceled the river investment plan. For some, it was a response to environmental pressurebut for others, simply the recognition that the USSR already I couldn’t pay for it. Zombie idea. Although the project seemed buried together with the Soviet Union itself, The BBC counted that his spirit has persisted. Throughout the decades, figures such as former Moscow Yuri Luzhkov have advocated for retaking it. And in February 2025, two Russian scientists returned to Defend the idea In a National Journal, arguing that the current technical advances and the geopolitical reorientation of Moscow made Asia more viable. Some have even suggested that reducing the discharge of warm water to the Arctic could mitigate climate change, although studies such as The Oceanographer Tom Rippeth They warn otherwise: altering the flow of rivers could destabilize the stratification of the Arctic Ocean and accelerate the thaw. Resource as identity. If you want also, beyond its technical or ecological justifications, the river reversion project represents a vision deeply imperial: Russia as a power that dominates not only territories, but vital resources. The possibility of transferring water Towards Chinafor example, would fit with the extractivist model that has defined the country for centuries. As Historian Paul Josephson pointed outit was a form of internal colonization, to “modernize” Central Asia through public works and Slavic settlements, imposing the seal of the Soviet state into the landscape. That mentality lasts and, for some, Siberian water remains an underutilized treasure that must one day channel towards economic development and political power. Radioactive legacy. It is the last of the legs to analyze for the events that took place. Today, The nuclear lake It remains one of the few visible vestiges of this colossal hydraulic fantasy. Although radiation levels have decreased, some areas remain dangerous. The lake, surrounded by mounds of earth and oxidized warning signs, is visited by curious Like blogger Andrei Fadeevwhich described the BBC as “a beautiful place, apparently quiet, but with invisible scars.” As allegory, the landscape encapsulates the ambition out of context of the project: transform rivers with atomic pumps, fold the will of nature with underground explosions and turn water into a geopolitical domain tool. Surprisingly, half a century later, the idea has not died at all. Image | Dmitry TerekhovSentinel In Xataka | In 1958, the US wanted to simulate a nuclear attack against the USSR: he ended up releasing a bomb on the coast of one of his own cities In Xataka | In the 50s United Kingdom he had an idea to bend the pulse to the USSR: a nuclear bomb with live chickens

China’s military and civil nuclear capacity grows at an unprecedented rate. The US does not take away your eyes off

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China has deservedly consolidated as the country to which all the nations that bet on nuclear energy look. It currently has 58 nuclear reactors whose joint capacity is approximately 61 GWE (electric gigawatts). Besides, It has another 28 reactors under construction that will add additional 33.65 GWE. And just a month ago the State Council approved the construction of 10 more nuclear reactors. China is already the second country with more machines of this type, only behind the US. In any case, the best asset of this Asian country is its commitment to innovation. And the reactor of Molten Sales and Torio TMSR-LF1 is a very valuable letter of presentation. This machine received the approval of the Chinese Nuclear Safety Administration in mid -June 2023 after having successfully completed the initial testing phase that started in 2021. and since then the itinerary that had set the Institute of Applied Physics of Shanghai, which is the institution responsible for its tuning. As explained by the American nuclear engineer Nick Touran In your tweetthe TMSR-LF1 reactor officially entered into operation on October 11, 2023. A few months later, on June 17, 2024, He started working at full power. And on October 8 of last year the technicians who operate it detected protacinium-233 (PA-233), a radioactive isotope intermediate derived from the transformation of the thorium into Uranium-233 as part of the fuel cycle of the thorium. This nuclear reactor is in the Minqin industrial complex of the province of Gansu, in northern China. It has a power of 2 thermal megawatts (MWT), and, although it will not be the first Fourth Generation Nuclear Reactor In activity, and not the first one that Torio will use as fuel, it will be the first of molten salts that will use this chemical element. However, the ambition of this Asian country does not end here; It is already planning to build a molten salts and more capacity sales reactor for 2030. The modernization of China’s nuclear arsenal is accelerating Nuclear physics has two faces. We all know that the knowledge that has given us can be used to generate electricity and favor the development of large population masses, as we have just seen, but it can also be used to produce weapons of mass destruction. China carried out its first test with an atomic bomb in 1964. Initially its scientists had the help of Soviet nuclear engineers, but this alliance was broken in 1959 and the country that was then led by Mao Zedong was forced to continue with this project without having any external help. This isolation did not prevent China from carrying out the first test with a hydrogen bomb in 1967, just three years after launching its first atomic bomb. During the next three decades the Chinese nuclear armament continued advancing, although Mao never aspired to deal with the number of atomic and hydrogen bombs With the US or the Soviet Union first, and Russia later. His doctrine pursued China’s survival by resorting to deterrence, but without directly involving themselves in the cold war that the two hegemonic powers held at the end of the 20th century. “Beijing has the ambition to create a wide sphere of influence in the regions of the Indian and the Pacific, as well as becoming the leading world power” The funny thing is that everything changed during the first decade of the 21st century. China’s economic capacity was growing and its scientific and technical development during the second half of the twentieth century had been out of all doubt. The US government was already realized that this Asian country was consolidating as a superpower Able to dispute your world supremacy. This was the context in which the tension between these two countries was born that seems to be currently reaching its peak. The following literal extract of the document that collects The National Security Strategy Published by the US government in October 2022, it reflects very clearly why it considers China a threat: “The People’s Republic of China (RPC) is the only competitor that has both the intention of remodeling international order and, increasingly, more and more Economic, diplomatic, military and technological capacity To do so. Beijing has the ambition to create a wide sphere of influence in the regions of the Indian and the Pacific, as well as to become the leading world power. “These lines perfectly condense the background history that has triggered the international situation in which we meet. If we stick to its military development the US Department of Defense He estimates that China currently has an arsenal made up of More than 600 nuclear eyeletsand plans to increase this figure until reaching 1,000 eyelets in 2030. USA and Russia have an arsenal of approximately 5,200 and 5,500 eyelets respectively, although many of them are in reserve and others will be dismantled. China has less eyelets, it is evident, but at least rivals with the US if we stick to the sophistication of its intercontinental ballistic missiles, its nuclear submarines, its bomber and its hypersonic missiles. Let us trust that China, the US, Russia and the other nuclear powers enter and stop this climbing of the nuclear weapons. Image | Пресguese More information | US Department of Defense In Xataka | China prepares the mate to the US: it will have its own UVE lithography team to make chips in 2025

The digital attack that paralyzed a nuclear plant without bombs and without anyone seeing it

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More than a decade ago, the world discovered a new type of weapon. I had no eyes or soldiers. Only lines of code. It was called Stuxnet and was able to sabotage an Iranian nuclear complex without internet connection. A computer worm that destroyed centrifuging designed to enrich uranium. Without alerts. No explosions. Without anyone knowing, at first, what was happening. All that we tell in our New Xataka episode presentsAvailable in the Xataka YouTube channel. Our partner Jota García, who reconstructs step by step how an operation of this caliber is told. The story starts in Natanz, an underground installation, hidden under tons of concrete in full Iranian desert. “From the outside it seems not special (…) but underground, thousands of centrifuging work work in full performance,” he says. Who decided to act? And why wasn’t a direct military intervention chosen? Apparently, with Iraq’s precedent, that road was ruled out by the country that wanted to stop this Iranian project. The alternative was Develop malware With a concrete mission: destroy without being seen. “And if instead of attacking with soldiers, we attack a computer virus?” Jota says. The trick? Infiltrate a simple pendrive in a completely isolated network. Once inside, the worm camouflaged. I watched. I expected. And only if I found the right industrial controllers, I went to action. “He didn’t attack immediately. He moved silently, analyzing everything around him.” Thus he managed to sabotage about a thousand centrifugators without the technicians being able to explain what he was failing. But there was an error. Malware spread out of Iran and ended up arriving in the West. What happened then? Who discovered the code? And what did they find inside? In the video we review how an investigation of The New York Times connected Stuxnet with the NSA, the CIA and the Mossad. Also the clues that analysts found in malware. “Stuxnet exploded four 0-Day vulnerabilities at the same time. An irrefutable proof that there was not a group of normal hackers.” Since then, nothing has been the same. Stuxnet was the first great digital attack with physical consequences. “Stuxnet was the first notice. The first great warning that the next wars can be invisible. ” Today, security threats are still present. We see them in hospitals paralyzed by Ransomware, sabotaged pipelines, In bank malware that empties accounts. Even USB pendrives remain a real threat in many organizations. Did you know this story? To what extent do you think We are protected today? We invite you to give the play in our video and leave your comments. Images | Xataka In Xataka | This hacker began to collaborate with the secret service after being arrested. What nobody knew is that he kept stealing big

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