The International Atomic Energy Agency's Rafael Grossi describes damage done by Russian forces to the Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. He spoke at IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria, on March 4, 2022.

The International Atomic Energy Agency's Rafael Grossi describes damage done by Russian forces to the Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. He spoke at IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria, on March 4, 2022. JOE KLAMAR/AFP via Getty Images

What We Learned from Russia’s Assaults on Nuclear Plants

Governments, international organizations, and nuclear plant operators have a lot of work to do.

Immediate disaster was averted during Russia’s military assault on two Ukrainian nuclear facilities, but the events unfolding there have implications for nuclear safety and security both in Ukraine and around the world. 

Nuclear facilities are designed to ward off a wide range of threats by non-state terrorists, who are generally not capable of marshalling military forces and weapons on par with a nation. While such facilities should not be required to fight off an invading army, governments must now consider how to prepare for their safety and security in such a scenario. 

National governments and international institutions should begin by strengthening norms against attacks on civilian nuclear facilities. While Russia’s invasion is the first full-scale war in a country with a large nuclear infrastructure, nations had envisioned this situation. In 1988, India and Pakistan agreed to a prohibition on “any action aimed at causing the destruction of, or damage to, any nuclear installation or facility in the other country.” In 2009, the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, General Conference endorsed a statement prohibiting the “armed attack or threat of attack against nuclear installations, during operation or under construction.” Additionally, Russia’s attacks run contrary to the Geneva Convention, international humanitarian law, and even Russian military doctrine. Governments should build on these norms and legal precedents and pursue further international agreements that nuclear facilities should be protected in war zones. The agreements should not only cover direct assault from an attacking army, but also incidental damage arising in war zones. 

International institutions like the IAEA can also play a critical role in the safety and security of nuclear facilities in a war zone. Director General Rafael Grossi and his staff are working tirelessly to guarantee the safety of nuclear facilities and personnel in war-torn Ukraine and the IAEA is also serving as a crucial conduit for up-to-date information about the safety, security, and safeguards status of the Ukrainian nuclear facilities. Recognizing the IAEA’s important roles, four members of Congress have urged President Biden to “take any available action to encourage the IAEA’s involvement in monitoring the situation in Ukraine, identifying any necessary action that may be advisable, and recommending all necessary cautionary action required for the utmost safety.” 

Nuclear operators and regulators should develop plans to minimize the risk to a nuclear facility during a military crisis and train staff on how to execute those plans. The IAEA should consider preparing guidance on how to confront safety, security, and safeguards challenges at nuclear facilities in these situations. The guidance might include recommendations, for example, on when to shut down reactors, what additional supplies (food, water, fuel, lodging, etc.) might be needed, when additional redundant systems for power are needed, and when and if to distribute potassium iodide. Based on its experience in Ukraine, the IAEA might also consider developing a service to verify basic capabilities that should be in place for nuclear facilities in war zones. 

Sadly, even as this tragedy continues to unfold, it is important to recognize this is not the first crisis nuclear operators have had to face. Nor will it be the last. The COVID-19 pandemic, increasing risk of wildfires near nuclear facilities, and political instability around the world signal a future where nuclear operators will need to be resilient and adapt to crises. While the measures we propose may provide little solace to those currently working at nuclear facilities in Ukraine, they may help save lives in the future.

Ernest J. Moniz served as U.S. Secretary of Energy and is Co-Chair and CEO of the Nuclear Threat Initiative. Richard A. Meserve is a former Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and is a Senior Of Counsel with Covington & Burling LLP.

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.