Scientists have joined forces in the face of extraordinary challenges arising during wartime in Ukraine

     Ukraine is approaching the anniversary of both the full-scale war and the occupation by russia of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant – an unprecedented act of nuclear terrorism in the world. The world has never faced such an extraordinary situation of illegal appropriation of a nuclear power plant, committed by the russian state atomic energy corporation, «rosatom», in independent Ukraine.

     Scientists from around the world have come together to discuss the wartime challenges facing nuclear facilities in Ukraine and to develop recommendations to prevent such precedents in the future. The Institute for Safety Problems of Nuclear Power Plants NAS of Ukraine has joined the RRADEW project (“Resilience to Radiological Events in Wartime”) as part of the European Union’s largest science and innovation funding program, Horizon Europe. The RRADEW project aims to improve readiness, response, and recovery systems for radiation emergencies in the context of russia’s war against Ukraine.

     To achieve this goal, RRADEW brings together 14 institutions, including two from Ukraine, notably the Institute for Safety Problems of Nuclear Power Plants NAS of Ukraine, and the results of collaborative efforts will stimulate cooperation among stakeholders, the outcome will also include the development of methodological and technological approaches to enhance resilience to radiation emergencies during wartime, increase awareness of the challenges and opportunities of readiness, response, and recovery systems.

     On February 2nd, the first coordination meeting took place in Paris, where the project leader from the Institute, senior researcher Olena Pareniuk, delivered a presentation on Relevant war scenarios in Ukraine. Additionally, the meeting featured the organization CEPN (France), specializing in developments in the field of optimizing radiological protection, associated with the Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), and the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice (USB).

     We thank our partners for their readiness to respond to challenges and support Ukraine in overcoming the consequences of the war unleashed by russia against our people.