Berlin In the Ukraine war, the Russian army is still advancing, now there have been battles around the city of Zaporizhia in the south of the country. The Russians are said to have fired on the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. According to the operator, a fire broke out on the site on Friday night.
The attack on the plant sparked horror around the world. Experts are worried about nuclear safety, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
The Handelsblatt gives an overview of the situation in Zaporizhia, looks at the other nuclear power plants in Ukraine and provides answers on possible consequences and dangers.
How big is the Zaporizhia nuclear complex and what areas were damaged?
The complex is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. There are six pressurized water reactors of Russian design that went into operation between 1985 and 1996. The training center where the fire was reported is on the site at a greater distance from the reactor facilities.
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In addition, shots are said to have been fired at an outbuilding of block 1 of the power plant. It got hit and was damaged, said the Society for Plant and Reactor Safety (GRS) of the German Press Agency. Safety-relevant parts are not affected.
According to GRS, only one of the six blocks in the plant, block 4, is currently connected to the grid. Its output was probably reduced somewhat due to the current lower electricity demand in Ukraine. The other shut down blocks would be in shutdown mode.
What is the danger at the moment?
GRS sees no immediate danger of a nuclear accident. According to the organization, the site is surrounded or occupied by Russian troops. However, the operating crews would operate in their regular operating mode. Experts also point out that the power plants are designed to survive plane crashes.
How many nuclear reactors are there in total in Ukraine?
There are 15 reactors in operation in Ukraine. In all cases, these are pressurized water reactors of the Soviet type VVER, located at four locations: Zaporizhia (six blocks), Rivne (four blocks), Khmelnytskyi (two blocks), Southern Ukraine (three blocks).
In addition, there are the three decommissioned units of the RBMK type at the Chernobyl site and Unit 4, which was damaged in 1986. At Chernobyl, 21,000 spent fuel elements from Units 1 to 3 and the fuel-containing masses in Unit 4 are still stored.
None of the operational Ukrainian nuclear power plants are in close proximity to the Russian border or to the areas occupied or claimed by separatists, the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
The Zaporizhia power plant is about 150 kilometers from Donetsk and Russian-occupied Crimea. However, not far from the Belarusian border are the Rivne (60 kilometers) and Chernobyl (ten kilometers) sites.
How different is the plant taken from German nuclear power plants?
One of the technical differences is that the nuclear complex in Zaporizhia stores large quantities of spent fuel rods that need to be water-cooled. Although these are also available in interim storage facilities in Germany, the fuel rods here are treated and encased in such a way that no water cooling is required.
If, on the other hand, there were problems with the water cooling in Zaporizhia due to shelling or explosions, the spent fuel rods could overheat after a short time. Large amounts of radioactivity could be released as a result.
How does Ukraine intend to protect the reactors?
That is unclear. The Federal Environment Ministry has no information on what measures Ukraine has taken against targeted attacks on the nuclear facilities there. Such information is classified as confidential, it said.
A nuclear power plant that is shut down also produces heat, so it must continue to be actively cooled, albeit to a lesser extent than when it is operating at full capacity. If the external power grid fails, diesel generators ensure this cooling.
Fuel reserves for a few days are available at the sites to operate these generators. In the long term, either the external power supply needs to be restored or the diesel tanks need topping up.
Is a second Chernobyl looming?
Definitely no. An explosion in Chernobyl in 1986 destroyed parts of the reactor and the reactor building. The reactor’s graphite jacket began to burn. As a result, radioactive material was ejected into the atmosphere.
Ukrainian soldiers during a tactical exercise in the radioactive zone around the former nuclear power plant.
(Photo: dpa)
The environmental policy spokeswoman for the FDP, Judith Skudelny, told the Handelsblatt: “There can’t be a second Chernobyl: It’s a different type of reactor.” cooling is interrupted.
How is radiation monitored?
In addition to the self-monitoring in the actual power plant, there are other measuring points within the Ukraine and in other countries. Germany also has instruments for evaluating a radiological situation, such as the Integrated Measurement and Information System (Imis), which is operated by the Federal Office for Radiation Protection.
There is currently no evidence of any release of radioactivity.
How do politicians react?
British Prime Minister Johnson wants to request an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council. This was announced by Johnson’s office on Friday.
It was also said that the British prime minister spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky early on Friday morning. Johnson said Britain would raise the issue with close allies without delay.
According to Zelensky, leading figures in the USA, Great Britain, the European Union and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) informed about the serious danger of a nuclear catastrophe. “If there’s an explosion – that’s the end for everyone. The end for Europe. The evacuation of Europe,” he said on Friday night.
Only quick action by Europe could stop the Russian troops, he said. “Don’t let Europe die from a catastrophe in a nuclear power plant,” he said, calling on politicians and citizens to put pressure on the Russian leadership to stop the Russian soldiers.
The White House said Biden and Zelenskiy have urged Russia to halt military activity in the area and allow firefighters and other emergency workers access to the facility.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg sharply condemned the advance of Russian troops towards the nuclear power plant. The reports of the attack on the nuclear power plant showed the ruthlessness with which the war was being waged and the importance of ending it.
Russia is about getting control of the power supply, said FDP politician Skudelny. “For this, they are willing not only to walk over dead bodies, but also to damage the country in the long term.”
Using nuclear power plants as a way to gain control in Ukraine is “completely irresponsible,” Skudelny said. Ukraine generates more than 50 percent of its electricity in nuclear power plants.
How is an attack on a civilian nuclear facility to be assessed from a legal point of view?
According to international law expert Markus Kotzur, a targeted Russian attack on a Ukrainian nuclear power plant would be classified as a war crime. The statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) determines which acts are war crimes, he told the Handelsblatt.
The attack on a nuclear power plant could fulfill several offences, said Kotzur. These include willful infliction of great suffering, destruction of property not justified by military purposes, and attacks on civilians.
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Should Russia target nuclear power plants, it would be a “grave” violation of international humanitarian law, Kotzur said. International law also prohibits attacks on vital objects such as those for energy supply.
In addition, customary international law applies. “Not only attacks on the civilian population as such, but also on civilian objects and all forms of attacks that could be expected to cause excessive collateral damage are prohibited,” Kotzur said. The Berlin international law expert Christian Tomuschat also points this out. “Even nearby facilities must not be attacked if such an attack could release such dangerous forces – including radioactive radiation, of course.”
Could Russian President Vladimir Putin be prosecuted for such a war crime?
According to the statute of the International Criminal Court, those directly responsible would be prosecuted first, explained the Bielefeld international law expert Franz C. Mayer. These are specifically the military commanders. “Then it depends on the concrete Russian command structures, whether Putin can also be held personally responsible under international criminal law.” In this area, international criminal law is still in flux.
Expert Kotzur, meanwhile, sees little chance of war crimes being punished. Russia has not acceded to the Statute of the Criminal Court. A rendition of war criminals by the UN Security Council would also fail because Russia, as a permanent member of the Security Council, has a right of veto, said Kotzur.
Violations of international humanitarian law could also be brought before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, for example in a case by Ukraine against Russia. “But Russia under its current leadership would certainly not accept the jurisdiction of the ICJ.”
Should iodine tablets be taken in Germany?
No, the Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMUV) strongly advises against taking iodine tablets independently. Iodine tablets protect the thyroid from absorbing radioactive iodine. Self-medication poses significant health risks and is currently of no use.
More: Nuclear expert Sailer sees risks from spent fuel elements in the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant