--- title: "Ukraine’s Nuclear Power Plants at “Unprecedented” Risk Due to Russian Invasion" description: "As Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, many experts are beginning to sound the alarm on the risk fighting poses on the country’s nuclear power plants." date: "2022-03-03" modified: "2022-03-03" authors: - name: "Tony Ho Tran" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/ttran" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/ukraine-nuclear-power-plant-russia" categories: - "Energy" - "Nuclear Fusion" - "Renewable Energy" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "nuclear power plant" - "Russia" - "the digest" - "ukraine" --- # Ukraine’s Nuclear Power Plants at “Unprecedented” Risk Due to Russian Invasion ![As Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, many experts are beginning to sound the alarm on the risk fighting poses on the country’s nuclear power plants.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## Grave Concerns As Russia continues its deadly invasion of Ukraine, experts are beginning to sound the alarm on the risk the fighting poses to the country’s nuclear power plants. Their fears aren’t unfounded, and come on the heels of Russia's [complete takeover]() of the site of the 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant meltdown. Since Ukraine heavily relies on nuclear energy, some fear that the fighting could result in damage to the power plants — which would have some incredibly disastrous results for large swaths of the world. "The situation in Ukraine is unprecedented and I continue to be gravely concerned," Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), [said in a statement](). "I have called for restraint from all measures or actions that could jeopardize the security of nuclear and other radioactive material, and the safe operation of any nuclear facilities in Ukraine, because any such incident could have severe consequences, aggravating human suffering and causing environmental harm." ## Nuclear Warzone The country currently relies on [15 nuclear reactors to supply half its electricity](). Since they’re spread throughout Ukraine, it's perfectly possible that at least some will be exposed to military fighting, and could become collateral damage. If this happens, radioactive material could be exposed to the atmosphere and be carried throughout the region — a terrifying possibility. "Nuclear power plants are very strong, and they are designed, for example, to withstand accidental aircraft crashes," James Acton, a physicist and co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, [told *The Verge*]()*.* "Nuclear power plants are just not designed to be in a war zone." However, experts aren’t too concerned about nuclear power plants being a direct target of military operations from either side. Grossi [told a press conference]() that he’s "convinced that nothing like this could ever happen" referring to a targeted attack on a reactor. Still, that’s cold comfort as we enter yet another day of military escalation in the Ukraine. Moscow continues to shell major cities in the hope of breaking the Ukrainians' will. If a power plant was accidentally hit or damaged, we might have much bigger issues on our hands than Putin’s strongman chest thumping. **READ MORE:** [Ukraine’s nuclear power plants are at ‘unprecedented’ risk as fighting continues]() \[*The Verge*\] **More on Ukraine-Russia conflict:** [*Ukraine Says Russia Is Trying to Seize Chernobyl’s Melted Down Nuclear Reactor*]() ## Author Tony Tran is a former reporter for Futurism, and now an editor at the Daily Beast. His work has been seen in Playboy, HuffPost, Narratively, and wherever else fine writing is published. He lives in Chicago where he frequently plans tabletop gaming sessions for his friends.