War in Ukraine Poses Nuclear Danger to Region

A Russian serviceman waits outside the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. Photo: Alexander Ermochenko | Reuters

After Russian forces invaded Ukraine in Feb. 2022, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southeastern Ukraine quickly fell to aggressor forces. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest in Europe, was taken over in March. Now, increased fighting in the area threatens to destabilize the plant and lead to a regional disaster.

Fighting in the region resumed over the summer and missile and artillery strikes hit vulnerable power lines that ran to the plant, reducing the power output of the plant to a minimum. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was allowed to visit the plant later in the summer, prompting Russia to permit Ukrainian upkeep personnel to repair the plant and restore safety.

The already precarious situation, which IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi suggested would lead to a “significantly increased risk of a nuclear accident,” has only intensified in recent weeks.

Continued shelling has jeopardized the plant once again, leading to what Grossi called an “untenable situation.” Power output from the plant was shut down in September, but external power to the plant was lost on Saturday due to Russian shelling in response to an attack on a crucial Russian supply line in Crimea. The plant now relies on its emergency diesel generators for power. 

The IAEA has cautioned that if the plant runs out of emergency supplies and fuel or continued fighting damages the reactor, a meltdown could occur. While advancements in atomic energy production have allowed plants to become safer and better suited at containing radioactive materials, Grossi and the IAEA have pleaded for caution. Power was temporarily restored to the plant on Oct. 9, leading to Grossi calling for the establishment of a protection zone.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Grossi that he is “open to dialogue” regarding the plant, and the pair met on Tuesday in St. Petersburg to discuss nuclear power in Ukraine. Putin said that the plant was “of concern” and warned of the “dangerous politicization” of nuclear power.

A Russian vehicle is parked outside a Zaporizhzhia reactor. Photo: Alexander Ermochenko / Reuters

On Tuesday afternoon, Ukrainian officials accused Russian forces of seizing a senior official at the Zaporizhzhia plant. Energoatom, Ukraine’s state enterprise power company, said that Valeriy Martyniuk, the deputy general for human resources at the plant, was abducted to an unknown location. Reports from the plant suggest that Russian soldiers have abused the Ukrainian staff who have continued to operate the plant.

Martyniuk’s alleged kidnapping is just one in a string of accused abductions and seizures at the plant by Russian forces. Ihor Murashov, the director general of the plant, was abducted in early October, but was released shortly after. The Ukrainian government denounced the seizure, calling it an “illegal detention.” Grossi took to Twitter, saying “I welcome the release of Ihor Murashov.”

The Soviet-designed Zaporizhzhia is only 300 miles from Chernobyl, the site of the infamous 1986 nuclear disaster. As fighting in the region intensifies, Energoatom has urged Ukrainian plant staff to not sign new contracts with the Russian government, as Russian military personnel at the plant have increased in numbers. Last week, Russia announced that Russian personnel were to take over the plant, prompting Energoatom to reject the proposal and appoint Energoatom director Petro Kotin as plant director.