Abstract: A press for compressing elongated radioactive structural elements, with the ress having a horizontal press shaft and a removable counterpunch in place of which a transfer shaft can receive a finished pressed object. The press is remotely operable, has a minimum overall length, and assures that during compression as well as insertion of the pressed object into the transfer shaft, no small particles can escape from the press line and that the unavoidable swelling of the pressed object in the axial direction has no impact upon removal of the counterpunch and insertion of the pressed object into the transfer shaft. The press ram includes several insertable press ram sections, and the cover is divided into several cover portions. The horizontal press shaft is movably disposed in the pressing direction on a mounting base between two crosspieces interconnected by tie rods.