Beyond Infrastructure: Humanitarian Dimensions of Nuclear Security in Ukraine
This article analyzes the humanitarian and geopolitical risks arising from Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia and examines how Russia has weaponized Ukrainian nuclear infrastructure as both a shield and a tool of coercion. Beginning with Russia’s takeover of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and highlighting the humanitarian and geopolitical risks resulting from Russia’s replacement of Ukrainian personnel with Rosatom, a Russian state-controlled entity, this article raises questions of state and corporate accountability resulting from Russia’s seizure of the Zaporizhzhian nuclear power plant. Highlighting the humanitarian costs of Russia’s takeover of Ukraine’s nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia, this article argues that human security is integral to nuclear security. This article concludes by offering a new framework for rethinking future acts of aggression implicating nuclear facilities.
Dr. Dmytro Koval is Co-Executive Director of Truth Hounds, one of Ukraine’s foremost human rights organizations, and an Associate Professor of International Law at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, where his academic research focuses on accountability mechanisms, international humanitarian law, and the legal dimensions of armed conflict. Since 2021, Dmytro Koval has represented Ukraine in the UNESCO Protocol 1999 Committee. He is a board member of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize winner Center for Civil Liberties.
Dr. Paul R. Williams holds the Rebecca I. Grazier Professorship in Law and International Relations at American University where he teaches in the School of International Service and at the Washington College of Law. Dr. Williams is also the Co-Founder of the Public International Law & Policy Group (“PILPG”). He received his J.D. from Stanford Law School and his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge.
Rachel Bamberger is a Senior Research Associate at the Public International Law & Policy Group (“PILPG”).