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Pat*eon : Belamy20
Naruto: Uchiha Shiroge Rebellion
Before a nuclear reactor can be shut down, it needs to cool for at least three years. After that, the hull and the top shield above the reactor are removed. The fuel elements are then transported by ship and train to a specialized storage facility. The entire process is both time-consuming and expensive.
So, Mavi's plan was to find a way for South Korea to foot the bill. He wanted to sell the two soon-to-be-decommissioned nuclear submarines to them at a discounted price for their own research.
Of course, the Russian engineers would first remove all the key equipment and technology. Mavi's role was to block off the South Koreans' avenues for obtaining submarines and then arrange for an official to "conveniently" leak information about the two decommissioned submarines.
From there, it was up to the South Koreans to get greedy and, in turn, help Russia solve its nuclear waste problem.
The South Korean representative, Lu Yuanji, felt disrespected by Mavi's treatment of the foreign guests. He immediately called the South Korean embassy in Russia to protest, detailing all of Mavi's "egregious" behavior.
"The Russian government said they won't sell a nuclear submarine for a penny less than $4 billion. That's an outrageous price! If they were going to do that, why did they even invite us to negotiate?" Lu Yuanji said angrily over the phone.
On the other end, the head of the South Korean embassy suddenly remembered something. "Don't worry, Yuanji. I think I heard from a Russian friend the other day that the Baltic Fleet has two Akula-class attack submarines that are about to be decommissioned. They don't have enough money to dismantle the nuclear reactors. What if we send someone to talk to the Baltic Fleet? We might be able to get what we want at a very low price."
The news from the South Korean ambassador was a deliberate leak from a person Mavi had arranged. Mavi had carefully considered simply selling a nuclear submarine to the South Koreans and removing the professional equipment himself, but it didn't feel right.
If the South Koreans found out early, the situation would be very awkward.
After all, Russia's primary industry was military sales. If word got out about this kind of betrayal, it would bring a bad name to the Russian Navy, even if everything was clearly written in the contract. Other countries would be hesitant to do business with them.
A decommissioned nuclear submarine was different. This was a deal where one side was willing to be exploited and the other was willing to exploit them. If the South Koreans got greedy and bought a decommissioned Russian nuclear submarine to steal technology, only to have the key equipment removed beforehand, it wouldn't affect the overall arms trade. No one could blame the Russians.
The South Koreans would have only themselves to blame for being so malicious, for trying to take advantage of Russia, and for getting played in the end.
"A decommissioned nuclear submarine? How much would it cost to dismantle the nuclear reactor?" Lu Yuanji asked, intrigued. He was still fuming from his encounter with Mavi and desperately wanted to vent his frustration.
"It costs about $400 million to dismantle one nuclear reactor. So for two, that would be around $800 million. If you include the price of the submarines, we should be able to do it for about $2.5 billion," the head of the South Korean embassy advised over the phone.
Spending $2.5 billion to acquire Russia's closely guarded nuclear submarine technology was a great investment. After all, this kind of technology couldn't be bought anywhere else.
The South Koreans' plan was clever, but they were unknowingly stepping into Mavi's game, slowly becoming pawns in his chess match.
Over the next few days, the South Korean Ministry of Defense visited the Russian Baltic Fleet. The person in charge of receiving them was Vice Admiral Samnovsky, who had already been briefed by Mavi.
"Vice Admiral Samnovsky, it's a pleasure to meet you! I heard your fleet has two nuclear submarines that are about to be decommissioned and need their nuclear reactors dismantled. Perhaps we can help your fleet with this," Lu Yuanji said warmly after they exchanged pleasantries.
"Why are you so eager to help with this?" Vice Admiral Samnovsky asked, feigning confusion.
He had already spoken to Mavi and knew exactly what the South Koreans were up to. His questions were all part of the act Mavi had requested, designed to make the South Koreans believe they were outsmarting him.
"It's like this, Vice Admiral Samnovsky. Since Russia and South Korea are close, we're worried that if your country can't dismantle the submarine's nuclear reactors due to lack of funds, it could lead to an incident like the Chernobyl nuclear leak. South Korea would suffer as well, and the economic damage would be severe.
"So I propose, your Excellency, that your government sell these two soon-to-be-decommissioned nuclear submarines to South Korea. As for the cost of dismantling the reactors, South Korea will cover that as well. What do you think?" Lu Yuanji asked, offering his suggestion.
From his perspective, Russia's retired nuclear submarines were a major headache for the navy. Dismantling them was too expensive, and not dismantling them could easily lead to a nuclear leak. That would cause even greater harm, not only polluting the sea but also forcing the Russian government to clean up the mess, which would consume a huge amount of manpower and resources.
"I'm afraid I'll have to get approval from my superiors. I can't give you an answer right away," Vice Admiral Samnovsky replied thoughtfully.
"No problem, your Excellency," Lu Yuanji said, feeling like his plan was working.
Just then, Vice Admiral Samnovsky pretended to take a call from a security guard, walked to a quiet corner, and dialed Mavi's number. "Hello, Mr. Mavi, the plan is going very smoothly. The South Koreans said they want to help us handle the nuclear reactors and will cover all the costs."
Vice Admiral Samnovsky spoke with admiration for Mavi. The events were unfolding exactly as Mavi had predicted, even down to the exact wording, which was quite astonishing.
In reality, it wasn't that Mavi was an accurate fortune-teller, but rather that history tends to repeat itself. In his previous life, South Korea had purchased two abandoned aircraft carriers from Russia: the Minsk and the Novorossiysk.
Ostensibly, South Korea bought them under the guise of environmental protection and economic aid to a neighboring country. But the Russians were no fools; they knew that South Korea had long wanted an aircraft carrier and hoped to dismantle and study the two carriers to build a foundation for their own. So, before the sale, they had already removed all the key equipment and even damaged parts of the carriers' structure.