The stories of the ISP NPP employees were included in the book “Voices of Ukraine” published with the support of the World Institute for Nuclear Security
On May 15, 2023, the World Institute for Nuclear Security (WINS) under the sponsorship of the International Science and Technology Center (ISTC) and the US Department of Energy released the first volume of the book “Voices of Ukraine” in Austria. The Executive Director of the WINS, Lars van Dassen, emphasized that this project is a major contribution to the fight against nuclear terrorism at the diplomatic and informational levels.
This project includes 17 unique stories of Ukrainian experts in the nuclear industry. Each of them reflects life changes caused by the war launched by russia against Ukraine.
Experts describe their experiences and very personal decisions when faced with a choice: to seek refuge abroad, to continue working in Ukraine, or to join the military service, defending our country.
These stories are important because they help to understand the impact of the war on Ukraine’s nuclear industry, analyzing not only the infrastructural and economic damage, but also the impact on the lives of people who play a key role in the nuclear industry.
The book also includes the stories of two employees of our Institute: Serhii Paskevych, the Deputy Director on Research, and Olena Pareniuk, a Senior Researcher.
Their stories are evidence not only of personal trials, but also of the strong will of Ukrainian specialists to face the difficult challenges that the war posed to them.
The story of Serhii Paskevych is unique in his memories of the first days of russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine and the invasion of Chornobyl by enemy troops, resisting the russian invaders in Chernihiv and heroically repelling attacks as part of the territorial defense.
Serhii talks about the big plans for the development of the Institute, the foundation of which was laid years before the full-scale invasion: four scientific projects are planned for 2022 together with foreign research institutes, the construction and commissioning of the Spent Nuclear Fuel Centralized Storage Facility together with the NNEGC “Energoatom”, preparation for the Shelter object dismantling in 2023.
Now the restoration of the Institute’s laboratories became an urgent need. All plans were destroyed by a full-scale war, which was committed by russia, because the russian troops actually destroyed the entire vertical of the nuclear energy safety of the world.
Olena Pareniuk emphasizes the importance of dialogue for the creation of a new architecture of nuclear security after attacks on civilian nuclear facilities. Olena recalls the events on the eve of the full-scale war, when she and her colleague and co-author Kateryna Shavanova submitted a popular science book about radiobiology to the publishing house. By the way, she came out for the 37th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster this year under the title “Terrible, beautiful and ugly in Chornobyl: from the disaster to the laboratory”.
After the first attack on the Zaporizhzhia NPP, Olena and her son evacuated to Chernivtsi. Therefore, research plans were temporarily suspended, and the idea of making a biological laboratory in the Chornobyl sarcophagus is patiently waiting for its better times.
And even with this precedent — when big country threatens another with nuclear weapon and terrorist attacks on civilian nuclear facilities — we are able to speak louder to the whole world about how to respond to the danger of nuclear terrorism and how to deter it in the future. By maintaining dialogue and cooperation within the country and with foreign counterparts, we can jointly find ways to protect civilian nuclear facilities and influence nuclear safety.
“Voices of Ukraine” is not just a collection of stories, but a significant step for the future generation. This is a way to show the world unique and impressive facts about the development of the Ukrainian nuclear industry, despite the difficulties faced by specialists during the war.
