A 'nuclear timebomb': tensions rise over Ukraine power plant
Greenpeace accuses Vladimir Putin of threatening an 'unprecedented escalation' of war
The UN's nuclear watchdog has demanded that Russia withdraw its forces from Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant two years after it captured the facility.
Greenpeace described the occupied plant as a "nuclear timebomb" and accused Vladimir Putin of threatening an "unprecedented escalation" if the Russian president orders the reactors to be restarted.
Ukraine is haunted by the legacy of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986, so tensions and fears over Moscow's intentions are high.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A power plant on the frontline
The plant is located on the Dnipro River in eastern Ukraine and Ukrainian forces occupy the bank opposite, leaving it "in the sights of both sides' militaries", said The Guardian. Ukraine and Russia have blamed each other for shelling that has downed power lines.
"Captured by the Russian invaders" in the early stages of the war in March 2022, the "vast" Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has been "on the frontline of the war ever since", added the paper. All six of its reactors are shut down, but it still needs "constant power" to keep fuel in those reactors cool and prevent a "potentially catastrophic meltdown", said Reuters.
Russia initially wanted to connect the reactors to its own energy grid but that plan was abandoned, said The Guardian. "But recent comments from officials have suggested a new attempt to restart nuclear energy generation may take place later this year."
In December, Yuriy Chernichuk, the Russian-appointed director of the site, told the plant's staff newsletter that 2024 is an "anniversary year for the station and the station is determined to work at full capacity".
But Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), warned that "any such action would require a number of considerations", including that it is "an active combat zone" and that "this plant has been in shutdown for a prolonged period of time", said The Straits Times.
Shaun Burnie, a nuclear specialist with Greenpeace Germany, said that "no nuclear regulations exist anywhere in the world that permit a nuclear plant to operate on the frontline in an active war zone".
The pressure group also said that there was concern over whether Rosatom, the Russian state-owned energy provider now running the plant, could ensure there was enough cooling water available to safely operate even a single reactor.
In the IAEA's fourth resolution condemning Russia's actions against Ukrainian nuclear facilities, it called for the "urgent withdrawal of all unauthorized military and other unauthorized personnel" and for the plant to be "immediately returned to the full control of the competent Ukrainian authorities".
Overseeing a Russian 'nuclear timebomb'
There are no signs of Russia adhering to the request, but in a meeting with Grossi earlier this month, Putin did acknowledge that "it is very important, on a planetary scale" to ensure "nuclear energy safety and compliance with safety standards throughout the world". The talks between the two men were described as "tense" by the RIA Novosti news agency, but a spokesperson for the IAEA denied the description.
Greenpeace accused Grossi of complacency, and insisted restarting any of the reactors should be comprehensively ruled out. The IAEA "must not play the role of pretend regulator" in "overseeing a Russian nuclear timebomb", said a spokesperson, but instead "must make clear that safe operation is impossible".
Over the past 18 months the plant has been cut off from external power eight times, forcing it to rely on diesel generators, said Reuters, so safety there "remains precarious".
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.
-
Magazine interactive crossword - May 3, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - May 3, 2024
By The Week US Published
-
Magazine solutions - May 3, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - May 3, 2024
By The Week US Published
-
Magazine printables - May 3, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - May 3, 2024
By The Week US Published
-
Ukraine using covert US long-range missiles
Speed Read The weapons are part of a $1 billion Ukraine aid package
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
'Make legal immigration a more plausible option'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine cheers House approval of military aid
Speed Read Following a lengthy struggle, the House has approved $95 billion in aid for Ukraine and Israel
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Poland, Germany nab alleged anti-Ukraine spies
Speed Read A man was arrested over a supposed Russian plot to kill Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'A speaker courageous enough to stand up to the extremists in his own party'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Why Johnson won't just pass Ukraine aid
Speed Read The House Speaker could have sent $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine — but it would have split his caucus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Modern presidents exercise power undreamed of by the Founding Fathers'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
'So much for the triumph over inflation'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published