Nuclear plants in Ukraine: international legal provision of nuclear safety in conditions of war
Authors: Filippova A.Yu. 
Published: December 2024

The article is devoted to the study of international legal provision of nuclear safety in the conditions of war in Ukraine using the example of nuclear power plants. Attention is drawn to the fact that by launching a full-scale invasion of the territory of our country, Russia threatened the entire world with a nuclear war. Her actions showed imperfections and gaps in the international legal framework for the protection of nuclear installations, which did not provide for their protection in cases of terrorist attacks, sabotage and armed conflicts. The article highlights the general chronology of events that took place at the Chernobyl and Zaporizhia NPPs after the start of the full-scale invasion. The dangerous actions of the aggressor country and their possible consequences are outlined. It was found that in the conditions of an armed conflict, nuclear power plants, according to international humanitarian law, are subject to special legal protection, which provides for their protected status and the prohibition of any attacks on them. Key international legal documents on nuclear safety were systematized and researched, determined their role and significance for legal regulation in the field of nuclear safety. These documents mostly focus on issues of internal technical security of nuclear facilities, while their provisions on the general provision of nuclear security do not cover effective mechanisms of international regulation and responsibility, especially in the context of armed conflicts, hostilities or occupation. The reaction of the international community to the crisis events related to nuclear power plants in Ukraine, as well as the key international legal acts adopted to strengthen nuclear security in the context of armed conflict, were also investigated. In particular, the IAEA resolution “Implications of the situation in Ukraine regarding safety, security and guarantees” was analyzed, which emphasizes the importance of observing nuclear safety standards and establishes the principles of protecting nuclear infrastructure in wartime. Special attention is paid to the concept of “Seven indispensable pillars of nuclear safety”, which was proposed by the IAEA to ensure the security of nuclear facilities and prevent incidents that could cause catastrophic consequences. The study emphasizes that the international mechanisms for regulating nuclear safety in conflict conditions remain limited, which necessitates the further strengthening of international legal standards and the development of more effective tools to prevent risks associated with nuclear infrastructure in the war zone.
The situation at Ukrainian nuclear power plants demonstrated significant gaps in the international system of ensuring nuclear safety, in particular, the lack of proper international legal regulation for the protection of nuclear facilities in the zone of military conflicts. The result of the study was the conclusion that the experience of Ukraine should give impetus to the rethinking and improvement of the international legal framework for ensuring nuclear safety, in particular, by developing new effective mechanisms for the protection of nuclear installations, responsibility for violation of rules, as well as effective influence on violators.