Georgia detains man accused of trying to sell uranium-238 for $700,000
In short
Georgia's State Security Service said it detained a Georgian citizen who planned to sell uranium-238 to a foreign citizen for $700,000. The service said it is investigating under Article 230 of Georgia's Criminal Code, which carries up to 10 years in prison. Officials did not say how much uranium was involved or the nationality of the intended buyer.
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Georgia's State Security Service said on Wednesday that it detained a Georgian citizen for illegal handling of nuclear material, saying he planned to sell uranium-238 to a foreign citizen for $700,000. The service said the case followed a joint operation by its counterintelligence and operational units, according to Interfax. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
An investigation has been opened under Article 230 of Georgia's Criminal Code, which covers illegal circulation of nuclear materials, devices and radioactive substances and provides for up to 10 years in prison, Interfax and Kommersant reported. Kommersant, citing Interpressnews, said special forces detained the suspect while he was driving a car, and that the radioactive substance was seized during a search of the vehicle. [ 2 , 4 ]
Officials did not give the quantity of uranium the detainee intended to sell, Interfax reported. Kommersant reported that the statement did not specify the country of citizenship of the intended buyer. [ 2 , 4 ]
Kommersant noted that uranium-238 cannot sustain a self-sustaining chain reaction, and that a high reported price therefore does not by itself indicate the material is suitable for building a nuclear device. The same outlet recalled two earlier cases: in October 2025, three Chinese citizens were detained in Tbilisi for trying to buy 2 kg of uranium and move it to China through Russia, and in May 2023 Georgia's State Security Service detained a man who was said to be planning to sell radioactive material for $2 million, with a radiological examination finding uranium in the material presented. [ 4 ]
Why it matters
The case is the latest in a series of Georgian nuclear-material trafficking cases cited by Kommersant, including a 2025 detention in Tbilisi and a 2023 case. Because the material involved is uranium-238, which Kommersant notes cannot sustain a chain reaction, the reported price alone does not indicate the material could be used in a nuclear device.
Key facts
- Georgia's State Security Service said it detained a Georgian citizen for illegal handling of nuclear material, specifically uranium-238. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The service said the detainee planned to sell the uranium-238 to a foreign citizen for $700,000. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- An investigation has been opened under Article 230 of Georgia's Criminal Code, which provides for up to 10 years in prison. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- According to Kommersant, citing Interpressnews, special forces detained the suspect while he was driving a car, and the radioactive substance was seized during a search of the vehicle. [ 4 ]
- The amount of uranium the Georgian citizen intended to sell was not stated. [ 2 ]
- The country of citizenship of the intended buyer was not specified. [ 4 ]
- Kommersant noted that uranium-238 is not suitable for a self-sustaining chain reaction, so the reported price does not by itself indicate the material could be used to build a nuclear device. [ 4 ]
- Kommersant recalled that in October 2025 three Chinese citizens were detained in Tbilisi trying to buy 2 kg of uranium and take it to China via Russia, and that in May 2023 Georgia's State Security Service detained a man who was said to be planning to sell radioactive material for $2 million. [ 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- How much uranium-238 the detainee intended to sell The State Security Service statement did not indicate the quantity, Interfax reported.
- The nationality of the foreign citizen who was to buy the material Kommersant reported the statement did not specify the buyer's country.
- Where in Georgia the detention and search took place The documents say the detention was in Georgia but name no city; the Tbilisi reference in Kommersant concerns an earlier case, not this one.
- The suitability of the seized material for use in a nuclear device Kommersant's observation that uranium-238 cannot sustain a chain reaction is a single-source technical note, and no document reports an examination result for this material.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- TASS reports the detention in Georgia of a man who tried to sell uranium to a foreigner for $700,000. [ 1 ]
- Interfax reports the State Security Service statement that the attempt to sell uranium-238 to a foreign citizen was stopped, with the price given as $700,000. [ 2 ]
- RIA Novosti reports the detention of a man in Georgia over an attempt to sell uranium to a foreigner. [ 3 ]
- Kommersant, citing Interpressnews, reports the detention of a Georgian citizen and adds the car stop, the vehicle search and past uranium cases in Georgia. [ 4 ]