To achieve its criminal goal s the Russian Federation disregards the international law and resorts to nuclear terrorism by interfering in safety control of Ukrainian NPPs and consciously destroying safety physical barriers of nuclear facilities and nuclear materials in Ukraine.
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Russian people do it cynically because they are aware of the fact that Ukraine will never act against the requirements of nuclear and radiation safety when using nuclear energy for peace. The culture of nuclear safety and operation in Ukraine as well as good will and responsibility don’t allow us to give a military response within NPPs’ sites because we are fully aware of all the catastrophe of such actions and their consequences.
In Kharkiv, Russian troops using missiles and rockets has destroyed “Dzherelo neitroniv”, it was the most up-to-date (World level) and safe reactor of the fifth generation. Exactly this reactor Ukraine constructed thanks to the financial and technical assistance of the USA due to nuclear breed materials that we voluntarily and free of charge transmitted to the Russian Federation in 2010.
The Russian Federation has destroyed the physical security perimeter at Zaporizhzhya NPP, the administrative building and opened an aimed fire at power units of the biggest NPP in Europe and caused a big fire, observed by the whole World. So, as a consequence of this military attack they destroyed the infrastructure of ZNPP training center having three up-to-date full scope simulators used to train NPP licensed operators. Also, they fired the only and unique (as to its characteristics) full scope simulator used to train maintenance personnel for reactors of WWER type. It was a complex with a real reactor and main equipment of reactor compartment. There, we upgraded the level of proficiency for Ukrainian specialists and planned to train NPP maintenance personnel from Turkey and China.
All this was destroyed by Russian soldiery, they threatened by nuclear catastrophe at the biggest NPP in Europe and blackmail the whole civilized world by violating the installed and recognized by humanity fundamental principles of nuclear safety when using nuclear energy for peace.
The combat operations and military capture of Chernobyl NPP, holding of hostages (service personnel) – all this is a cynical disrespect for all the international norms of nuclear safety at the NPP site that suffered from the most horrible nuclear catastrophe known by the humanity.
All this was not enough for the Russian Federation and its troops deenergized Chernobyl NPP, so, they raised the possibility of nuclear and radiation accidents and their consequences threaten the existence of humanity. At the same time IAEA calm us and does not see any threats even not taking into account data that IAEA possesses in the “Report on safety analysis of Spent nuclear fuel storage facility-1, chapter 13, accidents’ analysis”, for example the threats indicated in item 3.3.2.2 in original document:
“In a short time (seconds) in the event of an accident with a self-sustaining chain reaction, the temperature of the fuel reaches the melting point, the cladding will depressurize due to a large temperature gradient on the claddings, pressure increase under the cladding, and thermal expansion of the fuel. Part of the fuel in the form of powders of uranium and plutonium oxides, fused fragments of fuel rods may end up at the bottom of the spent fuel pool compartments. After an accident associated with the occurrence of a self-sustaining chain reaction, the water of the spent fuel pool will contain radionuclides in quantities that significantly exceed the sanitary standards. The radiological consequences of a self-sustaining chain reaction for the personnel depend on the specific conditions that arise in a specific scenario. The first and most significant way of exposure will be direct exposure of personnel, the dose at which will depend on the place of occurrence of a self-sustaining chain reaction and the specific location of the personnel. The second way of internal and external exposure will be due to the spread of fission and decay products released during a self-sustaining chain reaction and specific actions of the personnel aimed at protecting against the effects of ionizing radiation.
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Risk assessment. To substantiate nuclear safety, calculations were performed in [15] with simulation of the dehydration of spent fuel pool compartments using the SCALE computer code [12]. It was assumed that SFAs with an enrichment of at least 2.4% and minimal burnup (fresh) are stored in canisters filled with water, which are arranged in a regular manner.
As the results of calculations show under normal operating conditions, when the canisters and the spent fuel pools are completely filled with water of nominal density, the neutron multiplication factor remains below the allowable value of 0.95 and is:
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However, if the density of water in the canisters and in the spent fuel pools decreases below 0.2 g/cm3, the allowable value of the neutron multiplication factor is exceeded. The same situation is observed for the initiating event associated with a decrease in the water level in the spent fuel pools. It was assumed that the spent fuel pool and the canisters with SFAs are filled with water having a nominal density of 1.0 g/cm3. If the water level in the canisters remains unchanged, and in the spent fuel pool, it drops to 50% of the fuel column height, then the requirement to ensure the system subcriticality of at least 5% is already violated, and with a further decrease in the level to 25%, the neutron multiplication factor exceeds unity.
Thus, taking into account the conservative data selected for the calculation of the nuclear-physical storage conditions for the spent nuclear fuel storage pool 1, the occurrence of a self-sustaining chain reaction in the process of dehydration of the spent fuel pool compartment in the absence of make-up is possible.”
Understanding all the responsibilities and consequences of the Russian Federation's reckless and unprovoked aggression on Ukraine's nuclear facilities, we believe that there is no other way to stop the Russian Federation's nuclear terrorism than to call on the world community and leading companies to stop cooperating with the Russian Federation in the nuclear sphere, as one that contributes to the Russian Federation's further aggression against Ukraine and destroys international nuclear law.
Do not allow Russia to wage a hybrid nuclear war and do not help the bloody inhuman regime, which has no honor or conscience or commitment to humanity. Any investment in nuclear energy facilities and cooperation in the nuclear field with the Russian Federation is a cooperation in the blood of Ukrainians and a huge threat to the fundamental principles of safe use of nuclear energy in the world. Otherwise, a hybrid nuclear war will come to your home, and then it will become the real one that the Russian Federation will destroy the World.
We appeal to you and insist on the cessation of work and cooperation with the Russian Federation in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy as a threat to the safety and existence of humanity.
If the lives of our children and their mothers are nothing to you, then at least protect yourself and demand from the politicians of the World to close the skies around the sites of Ukrainian nuclear power plants and other nuclear facilities, otherwise the Russian Federation’s nuclear terrorism and its consequences will become a problem for all humanity.
George Balakan