Yahoo Finance West does not fully understand threat of Russian nuclear terrorism, Harvard historian Serhii Plokhy says
The West does not fully understand the threat of nuclear terrorism from Russia — the main danger is not the use of nuclear weapons, but nuclear terrorism associated with the seizure of nuclear power plants such as Chornobyl and Zaporizhzhya, said world-renowned Ukrainian historian and director of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, Serhii Plokhy, in an interview with NV.
There is a taboo on the use of nuclear weapons. Russia breaking it would mean not only serious problems with the West, but with China and India as well.
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"When it comes to the seizure of nuclear facilities, war at nuclear facilities, the world has not developed a tough attitude and a similar approach," Plokhy said.
"With nuclear facilities, it is easy to point the finger at someone else."
"When a nuclear weapon is used, it is clear where it came from, but when a nuclear disaster happens, you can point the finger in an unlimited number of directions. It's like the old joke: he stole his coat, his coat was stolen - it's hard to understand."
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"The Russians pointed the finger at the Ukrainians, the Ukrainians pointed the finger at the Russians, and the world cannot understand this as part of the war, so they say 'let's sort it out' instead of 'Russia must be punished. A huge catastrophe goes unnoticed because the information space is muddy, and this issue, this impression is still not understood in the West." As an example, Plokhy recalled the international community's reaction to Russia blowing up the Kakhovka hydroelectric plant.
Another blackout occurred at Zaporizhzhya NPP on Dec. 2, a semi-frequent occurrence under Russian occupation. This was the eighth blackout overall and posed a threat to radiation safety.
The most recent partial blackout at the Zaporizhzhya NPP occurred on Nov. 16.
Every blackout at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhya NPP represents a threat of a major accident comparable to that at Japan’s Fukushima plant, Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said on national television on Dec. 2.
The greatest safety threat exists at the fourth power unit, which Russia keeps in a “hot” shutdown state, a violation of operating conditions.
"The de-energization of the main circulating pumps that cool the active zone leads to the transition of the reactor unit to a natural circulation mode,” the company said.
Read also: Russia’s nuclear blackmail continues
“This mode is challenging for the reactor unit, its duration is limited by the design, and it could lead to the failure of the main equipment of the power unit. The unit needs to be urgently transferred to a cold (shutdown) state,.”
The occupied Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) is currently obtaining electricity solely from a single transmission line, Acting Head of the State Nuclear Regulatory Authority, Oleh Korikov, said on national television on Dec. 6. “At present, the plant operates on the 750 kV line; the 330 kV line is not yet connected today,” he said.
The ZNPP, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, has been under Russian occupation since the early days of the full-scale invasion in 2022. Russian forces maintain equipment at the NPP, using it as cover, and have conducted provocative shelling on the NPP’s territory.
Currently, the plant operates solely for its own needs and does not supply electricity to the Ukrainian grid.
Ukrainian authorities also expressed concerns about Russia’s intentions to carry out a terrorist act at Zaporizhzhya NPP during the summer.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
