The Joint Eighth and Ninth Review Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Convention on Nuclear Safety was held at the IAEA’s Headquarters in Vienna (Austria) from 20 to 26 March 2023.

The Review Meeting was attended by a large delegation from Ukraine headed by Acting Chairman of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU), Chief State Inspector for Nuclear and Radiation Safety Oleh Korikov. Also the delegation includes representatives of SNRIU, SE NNEGC “Energoatom”, SSE CERWM, and the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the International Organizations in Vienna.

SSE “Chornobyl NPP” (ChNPP) was represented by Deputy Technical Director (for Safety) Oleksandr Novikov.

During this event, the Ukraine’s party made public the summary of the implemented measures to ensure the safety of nuclear facilities for a six-month period since the time of the Seventh Review Meeting to the Convention.

However, taking into account the full-scale military aggression initiated by the russian federation against Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the National Report was mainly focused on those impacts endured by the Ukrainian NPPs’ nuclear and radiation safety system due to the war.

Representatives of the international nuclear community were informed about the consequences of the occupation of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone and Chornobyl NPP, as well as the long-term seizure of Zaporizhzhia NPP (ZNPP), and some other relevant issues. In this regard, the important role of international partners of Ukraine was stresses. They have provided technical and advisory assistance in order to enhance the capacity of the Ukrainian licensee-enterprises for the proper implementation of their activity, and functionality of the Ukrainian state nuclear regulator.

At the same time, the russian party, having tried to justify its actions on the territory of Ukraine in general and at the nuclear sites specifically, only confirmed that the military troops of the russian federation are actually present at the Zaporizhzhia NPP and use its capacities for military purposes. In turn, this evoked a negative reaction from the Meeting’s attendees.

“The nuclear safety conferences have had the same form for many years: all participants shared their achievements. The Joint Eighth and Ninth Review Meeting to the Convention diverged significantly from those held earlier. First of all, the unity of the Contracting Parties regarding the war of russia against Ukraine impressed. Secondly, finally the issue arose to revise the safety criteria in the conditions of military conflicts and warfare on the territories where nuclear sites are located. And this is very important as this indicates that the world community will not close eyes to new challenges faced after the beginning of the military aggression of russia against our country” –Mr Novikov summarizes his own impressions from the meeting.

Within the National Report of Ukraine, the official delegations of the Contracting Parties to the Convention on Nuclear Safety got acquainted with information about the temporary occupation of Zaporizhzhia NPP by the russian troops. Such situation significantly affects the nuclear and radiation safety both at the ZNPP and in Ukraine and worldwide in general. Mostly the Report described the problems and risks caused by the war impact. All nuclear facilities of Ukraine are facing these problems and risks.

During review of three articles of the Convention (No. 9, 10, 16) on nuclear safety that specify responsibility of a holder of a license for operation of a nuclear facility, safety priority and emergency preparedness, it was noted that due to the full-scale invasion of the russian federation in our country Ukraine nowadays cannot fulfill in full provisions of two articles.

The National Report also emphasized that Ukraine understands the whole physical, moral and material burdens falling upon the IAEA’s Member States because of the need of permanent presence at the Ukrainian NPPs’ sites. However, it is quite important that there would be no need in the permanent mission if russia would not begin committing acts of nuclear terrorism. If the russian troops would not pose a threat to the nuclear energy of Ukraine and would not create a threat to the whole world, there would not be any need in the permanent presence of IAEA.

Moreover, it was Ukraine that facilitated in every possible way and made maximum efforts to make sure that IAEA’s representatives were able to personally verify that all shelling of NPPs are performed from the russian occupiers side. Actually this was confirmed in the IAEA’s second Summary Report “NUCLEAR SAFETY, SECURITY AND SAFEGUARDS IN UKRAINE” (28 April – 5 September 2022) and by the results of IAEA’s mission at the ZNPP.

For your information

The complete text of the National Report of Ukraine will be published on IAEA’s web-site once the Joint Eighth and Ninth Review Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Convention on Nuclear Safety finishes its work lasting until 31 March 2023. Also, based on the results of work of the Joint Review Meeting, the summary reports will be approved. The Ukraine’s delegation submitted some vital proposals to these reports. According to the SNRIU, these proposals relate to the membership of russia in the IAEA’s Board of Governors as russia continues committing crimes on the territory of Ukraine and resorting to nuclear terror.