The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has presented international donors and partners with cooperation proposals in the field of nuclear and radiological safety.
These projects were introduced at a meeting of the Nuclear and Radiological Security Working Group (GPNRSWG) of the Global Partnership. The event took place in Chișinău, Moldova, at the initiative of Canada’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Colonel Valerii Veber, Deputy Chief of the Main Directorate for Mine Action, Civil Protection, and Environmental Safety, emphasized that strengthening the physical protection of radiation-hazardous facilities and building national capacity in nuclear and radiological safety is one of the Ministry’s priorities—especially after the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the full-scale armed aggression by the Russian Federation in February 2022.
He stressed that, considering global risks and instances of terrorist attacks on nuclear facilities, the Ministry of Defense supports the National Guard of Ukraine and the Security Service of Ukraine in preventing potential acts of terrorism, including by enhancing air defense capabilities around nuclear sites.
The Ministry also maintains several radioactive waste disposal sites inherited from the Soviet Union, which contain sources of ionizing radiation once used in specialized military equipment and devices.
“To reduce the impact of radioactive waste on the environment and the civilian population, we aim to reinter these materials. However, this is only possible with support from international partners, as Russia’s full-scale invasion consumes significant financial resources,” the Ministry representative said.
He added that a successful precedent already exists—in 2018, radioactive waste from the Tsybuleve site was safely buried through a NATO Trust Fund project.
The Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction is a G7-led international initiative that includes 31 countries.
