Russian-occupied Ukrainian nuclear plant at risk, warn former workers

A fire at Europe's largest nuclear power plant is the latest in a string of worrying incidents since the Ukrainian facility was captured by Russia in March 2022. Former workers at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) have warned New Scientist that expertise and equipment for keeping the facility safe are in short supply, meaning the situation is risky and unpredictable. "No one has yet evaluated the safety of nuclear power plants under war conditions," one former worker says, speaking anonymously for fear of reprisal from Russian occupying forces. The conflict in Ukraine, which has now lasted more than two years, is the first time in history that a war is being fought around nuclear power plants. All four of Ukraine's operational plants have experienced at least one incident, while a recent Ukrainian incursion into Russian territory has seen reports that the latter is fortifying the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant against attack.