the two colonels requested that riehl join them in berlin for a few days, where he also met with nuclear physicist yulii borisovich khariton, also in the uniform of an nkvd colonel. this sojourn in berlin turned into 10 years in the soviet union. riehl and his staff, including their families, were flown to moscow on 9 july 1945. flying riehl and his staff to russia demonstrates the importance the soviets placed on the production of uranium in their atomic bomb project. eventually, riehl's entire laboratory was dismantled and transported to the soviet union. the dismantling of his laboratory began even while riehl was still being held by the soviets in berlin.