We demand recognize the Russian Federation as a nuclear terrorist

All news / 25.04.2022

We, NGOs of Ukraine, appeal to:

United Nations

Government of the United States of America

European Commission

European Parliament

Council of Europe

International Atomic Energy Agency

Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

Almost two months ago, a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began. For almost two months, the world has been watching the Russian occupier brutally kill Ukrainians (including women, children, and the elderly), rape, bully, and looting. This is happening today, in the 21st century, when the whole world has been repeating “never again” and only one country – the Russian Federation – has claimed: “we can do it again.”

The Russian occupier has violated and continues to defiantly violate all possible international norms, which we believe should protect people’s lives and ensure security, and which almost a century after World War II established rules of peaceful existence for all countries. Russia’s terrorist actions violate the UN Charter and Conventions, international agreements on the use of nuclear energy, and the basic principles of nuclear safety approved by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

This terrible war against the free Ukrainian people has opened up a new reality, revealed, at least to us Ukrainians, the terrible truth not only about the Russians who are eager to destroy us, but also about the false order of the world. A world in which guarantees of protection of fundamental human rights and life end where big money begins. The guarantees themselves remain only empty declarative norms on paper.

Yes, we have seen that none of the international institutions can really protect against the illegal seizure, annexation of the territories of an independent country, or against the war crimes committed by the aggressor. All the actions that the civilized world is slowly trying to take to stop the rushism are an ex post facto of committing terrible war crimes against humanity. The rules of peace do not work ahead of the curve. This war has shown that no one and nothing is protected and safe. Such helplessness of the world order gives dictators, countries with totalitarian regimes reason to realize their impunity and permissiveness. So we ask, who’s next?

We consider cases of nuclear terrorism to be the most dangerous actions of the aggressor. The world knows, as does the IAEA, about the seizure of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants. The Russian military has been in the exclusion zone for more than a month and seized one of the most dangerous facilities, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP), along with a spent nuclear fuel storage facility. They took hostages of its employees, cut off electricity, which created the risk of an accident that could lead to a nuclear accident. In addition, a modern laboratory, equipped by European countries, was smashed, and archives of many years of research and observation were destroyed. The occupiers withdrew from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant not because of the active actions of the IAEA or the international community, but only because many Russian servicemen received high doses of radiation and some of them died as a result. The world also knows that the largest in Europe Zaporizhya nuclear power plant (ZNPP) has been occupied by the Russian occupiers for almost two months. Its territory and buildings were shelled by the occupiers using military equipment. Then, on the territory of the nuclear plant, near the storage of spent nuclear fuel and reactors, the Russian military carried out detonations of ammunition that did not explode during the shelling. Nowadays neither Ukraine nor the world knows real information about the state of ZNPP.

On March 12, 2022, it became known that representatives of the Russian state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom were present on the territories of these Ukrainian nuclear power plants and announced to the staff that these facilities now belong to this structure. Thus, it becomes obvious that Russia is using its state corporation as one of the instruments of the war against Ukraine. Therefore, such actions indicate that a deliberate act of nuclear terrorism is being committed.

In addition, since the beginning of Russia’s open aggression against Ukraine, the territory of the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology, where the Nuclear Neutron Subcritical Unit (NNSU) is located, has been constantly shelled and bombed by Russian troops. Some of its systems have been damaged so far. The nuclear installation has been transferred to a deep subcritical state; there is no external power supply and its restoration is impossible in the conditions of constant bombing and shelling; operational personnel monitor the state of NNSU “Source of neutrons” to a limited extent. This has a negative impact on the safety of this nuclear facility. The likelihood of new damage to the NNSU, which could directly affect the state of nuclear and radiation safety, remains high due to constant shelling by Russian troops. Continued bombing and / or shelling of the site could result in severe radiation effects and contamination of the surrounding area.

Both Ukraine and the world continue to be under nuclear threat. Nevertheless, the IAEA has not done even the slightest thing to show that the prerogative of this international institution is to protect the peaceful atom, as stated in its main functions, and not to collect contributions for its existence.

 

So, we, the public of Ukraine, have the following questions:

  • Why is the Russian Federation- the aggressor still not recognized as a nuclear terrorist?
  • Why has the IAEA General Conference not yet been convened to terminate the rights and privileges of a member of the Agency – the Russian Federation due to constant violations of the Statute?
  • Why do representatives of the aggressor country of the Russian Federation continue to work in the Agency and hold leading positions?
  • Why has the State Corporation of the Russian Federation Rosatom, which is one of the main objects financing the war in Ukraine and whose actions are a threat to the security of the whole world, not yet been sanctioned?
  • And the last two questions: does big money again win over such fundamental for Europe and the entire civilized world human rights and freedoms? Do these values ​​really exist, for which we, Ukrainians, are now dying in this unequal terrible war with the Russian aggressor?

We remind you that the Russian Federation violated:

  • Article 2 of the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism;
  • Article 7 of the Chernobyl and ZNPP Convention for the Protection of Nuclear Material;
  • Principle 24 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, which states that States respect international law to ensure the protection of the environment during armed conflict;
  • Art. 3, 23 of the Convention for the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War;
  • Art. 56 of the First Protocol to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 – protection of installations and structures containing dangerous forces.

At present, the Russian occupying forces are doing everything possible to develop a global environmental catastrophe, deliberately damaging the environment and in no way complying with international law. All these actions by the Russian Federation are an act of terrorism.

The security of the population of many European countries is now under significant threat.

Based on the above, we demand:

  1. Recognize the Russian Federation as a nuclear terrorist and terminate its right to the privileges of a member of the Agency. Immediately liberate the territory of the Zaporizhzhya NPP, stop the bombing of Kharkiv and the territory of the Source of Neutrons.
  2. Amend the Agency’s Statutes to significantly restrict the rights of the aggressor country as an IAEA member, regardless of its share of financial participation in the Agency and its access to information that affects the safety of nuclear facilities. And also on the termination of the powers of the representatives of the aggressor countries in the IAEA. Such changes shall take effect and be applied immediately.
  3. To fire persons who works in the IAEA and related to the Russian Federation as those who pose a threat to nuclear security and are agents of the country of a nuclear terrorist, including IAEA Deputy Director General Mikhail Valentinovich Chudakov.
  4. Impose tough sanctions on Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom and its subsidiaries and their management.

Коаліція громадських організацій «Досить труїти Кривий Ріг»/ Coalition of NGOs “Stop poisoning Kryvyi Rih”:

ГС «Міжнародна Бізнес Асоціація»/ PU “International Business Association”

ГО «Об’єднання Відповідальних Громадян»/ NGO “Union of responsible citizens”

ГО «Всеукраїнське об’єднання територіальних громад “ГРОМАДСЬКА БЕЗПЕКА”»/ NGO “All-Ukrainian Association of Territorial Communities” PUBLIC SECURITY “

ГС «Досить труїти Кривий Ріг»/ PU “Stop poisoning Kryvyi Rih”

ГО «Основи свідомості»/ NGO “OSNOVY SVIDOMOSTI”

БФ «Шелтер Плюс»/ Charity Foundation “Shelter Plus”

ГО «ДНІПРОПЕТРОВСЬКА ОБЛАСНА ОРГАНІЗАЦІЯ “ГРОМАДЯНСЬКА МЕРЕЖА “ОПОРА”»/ NGO “DNIPROPETROVSK REGIONAL ORGANIZATION” CIVIL NETWORK “OPORA”

ВГО «Національний координаційний комітет сприяння протидії корупції»/ NGO “National Coordinating Committee for Anti-Corruption”

ГО «Ред Хаб»/NGO “RED HUB”

ГО «Центр виживання та спецпідготовки “Seal”»/ NGO “The Survival and Special Training Center “SEAL”

ГО «Гріненерджі»/NGO “Greenenergy”

ГО «Скелелази Кривого Рогу»/ NGO “Climbers KR”

ГС «Спільна мета»/ PU “Common Goal”

ГО «Право Є!»/NGO “Pravo E!”

ГО «Центр соціальних та правових ініціатив»/ NGO “Center of social and legal initiatives”

ВМО «Федерація Екстремальних видів спорту України»/ Federation of extreme type sport of Ukraine

Відокремлений підрозділ ГО «Всеукраїнська спілка воїнів АТО» Криворізького району/ A separate subdivision of the All-Ukrainian Union of ATO Soldiers of the Kryvyi Rih District

ГО «Рух Без Меж»/ NGO “Movement without limits”

Профспілка «ПРОФЕСІЙНА СПІЛКА ЧЕСНИХ ПРАЦІВНИКІВ»/ “Professional Union of Honest Toilers”

а також

МБО «Екологія – Право – Людина» (ЕПЛ)/Environment People Law (EPL) 

ГО «Дзиґа»/ NGO “Dzyga”

ГО «Запоріжжя без амброзії»/ NGO “Zaporozhyа without ragweed”

ЕкоКоаліція Запоріжжя/ EcoCoalition of Zaporizhia

ГО «Зелений світ Друзі землі»/ NGO “Green World – Friends of the Earth”

ГО «Екоґвалт»/ NGO “Ecogvalt”

Мережа «Довкола»/ The network “Around”

Професійна екологічна спільнота #ECODIIT/ Professional ecological community #ECODIIT

Міжнародний проект «Чисте повітря для України»/ International project “Clean Air for Ukraine” 

ГО «Флора»/NGO “FLORA’’

БО «БФ “Пелі кен лів”»/Charity organization “Charity foundation “Peli can live”

Професійна асоціація екологів України/ Professional Association of Ecologists of Ukraine

ГО «Ініціативна група “Разом”»/ NGO “Initiative Group “Together”

Українська природоохоронна група/ NGO “Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group

ГО «Центр економіко-правової аналітики»/ NGO “Center of Economic and Legal Analytics”

ГО «SaveDnipro»/ NGO “SaveDnipro”

ГО «ЕкоТека»/ NGO “EcoTeca”

ГО «Зелений лист»/ NGO “Green Leaf

БО «Благодійний Фонд Тепле Місто»/ BO “Charity Foundation Teple Misto”

ГО «СОРТСМАРТ»/ NGO “SortSmart”

Ініціативна група «ПідКРіплення»/ Initiative group “Succor”

ГО «Велокривбас»/ NGO “Velokryvbas”