Indeed, the defining danger of proliferation is not Iran's purchase of civilian nuclear reactors that may assist Iranian nuclear ambitions a decade hence. It is the threat, today or tomorrow, that Iran, Libya, or a radical group like Hamas, will purchase nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, or delivery vehicles from some fragment of the current or former Russian military. The Western press has documented the extremely low morale of Russian troops. Stories of Russian soldiers unpaid for months on end and without food rations are commonplace. There are widespread incidents of desertion and suicide throughout the Russian military forces.
Reports indicate that many units have sold valuable military equipment for currency.
Others point to a barter system in which troops trade equipment and ammunition for food. In some cases troops have left valuable military equipment unprotected and unguarded in the field as the unit forages for food. The terrifying reality is that the threat of nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons as a terrorist tool is no longer far-fetched. Technically, the world has already experienced an incident of nuclear terrorism. In November 1995, Chechen rebels placed a 30-pound package of radioactive material in a Moscow park.