A heated debate broke out in the country after it was found that some of Ukraine’s nuclear plants were not well protected against Russian strikes during the harsh winter months. The carelessness has sparked a political blame game between Energy Minister German Galushchenko and Energoatom, the state-owned atomic energy company, and raised concerns about the country’s energy security.
Delayed Protection Measures on Nuclear Facilities
Nuclear facilities provide the majority of the country’s electricity and were left unguarded despite repeated warnings by the intelligence services about the looming attack by Russians. Experts and lawmakers criticized Energoatom for its delay in strengthening these crucial infrastructures.
According to reports, Energoatom only tendered protective equipment at the end of September, which is six months after the Ukrainian government instructed all state-owned energy firms to improve the defenses around their critical infrastructure. This left the nuclear facilities exposed when Russian bombardments were common.
There is no reason for this delay,” said Oleksandr Kharchenko, head of the Energy Industry Research Center think tank. He points out that the negligence put Ukraine on the brink of a devastating blackout in freezing temperatures.
MPs and Experts Urge Investigation
An MP from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Servant of the People party, Anastasiya Radina, said it was “hardly explainable” that nuclear facilities had not been protected earlier. She has so far led calls for a full probe into whether authorities failed to do enough to protect Ukraine’s big atomic plants in time.
The investigative journalist Yuri Nikolov fueled the controversy by exposing that Energoatom was not doing enough. He claimed that the company did not want to build complex protective structures, hoping that the Russian forces would not bomb equipment close to nuclear plants.
Government and Energoatom Respond
What is required to protect the key infrastructure is protected,” deposed energy minister German Galushchenko in response to the allegations of negligence. Claims that it failed in action were rejected by him, who called them untrue. Energoatom hasn’t yet responded to the charges with a formal comment, though.
Furthermore, it shows the selection of Energoatom to opt for short-term precautions over the expansion of a new nuclear reactor. Politicians have criticized such action as “ridiculous” under the circumstances.
Why It’s Important ?
As the Russian forces continue to attack energy infrastructure, nuclear plants in Ukraine are crucial to ensuring electrical supply. Besides the risk of threatening the nation’s energy security, poor security at these sites raises questions about the strategy for crisis management by the nation in times of conflict.
Winter’s hardships and Russian aggression are blamed for neglect on which there has been a growing call for accountability. It continues to be of primary concern in securing Ukraine’s nuclear plants.
