"In the 1990s, there were some 20 attempts to take dangerous radioactive material (from the facilities), some 15 of them in 1995 alone, but now there are no such attempts," Alexander Agapov said as quoted by ITAR-TASS.

State-of-the-art control measures and harsh security introduced after the registered incidents effectively cut down on such attempts, Agapov said late Thursday.

"If any such attempts are repeated, the mechanisms of certification and licensing of enterprises working with such materials would be boosted," Agapov said.

However, he said he did not think that selling shares of such companies to private hands would be a threat, warning only that "private business's rights insofar as nuclear industry's boards of directors are concerned should be limited."

Over the 50 years that the Russian nuclear industry existed, 176 accidents had been registered, with 344 people suffering from acute radiation sickness. A total 71 sufferers died of the disease, Agapov said.

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