Ukraine's controversial move: Russian reactors amidst conflict
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has approved the purchase of Russian nuclear reactors from the Bulgarian company BEH EAD. The decision, supported by President Volodymyr Zelensky's administration, is generating controversy within the country, primarily due to the ongoing conflict with Russia and Ukraine's seemingly contradictory expectations.
On 11th February, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passed a law allowing the nuclear power plant operator Energoatom to purchase two reactors from the Bulgarian company BEH EAD. According to an analysis by the Eastern Studies Centre, these reactors were produced by Atomstroyexport, a subsidiary of Rosatom.
Ukraine wants to purchase Russian nuclear reactors
The opposition opposes Ukraine's decision to purchase Russian nuclear reactors. "The Verkhovna Rada supports purchasing Russian equipment for the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant. The planned expenditure is approximately £440 million. Spending money on Russian reactors during the conflict is utterly baffling!" – declared Deputy Oleksiy Honcharenko from former President Petro Poroshenko's European Solidarity party.
"We will block these decisions. They are disgraceful!" – Honcharenko also wrote on the Telegram service.
The reactors that Ukraine aims to acquire are intended for use in the third and fourth units of the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant. Construction of these units was halted in 1990 following the Chernobyl disaster. To date, 75% of the work on the third unit and 30% on the fourth has been completed.
This decision contradicts previous government announcements about building a distributed electricity generation system, resilient to Russian missile attacks. The justification for such a substantial expenditure is questionable when the energy sector has other urgent needs - assesses Slawomir Matuszak, Chief Expert of the Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova Team at the Eastern Studies Centre.
The expert notes that the price of the reactors Ukraine wishes to purchase remains uncertain. "The Bulgarian Parliament authorised the sale of the reactors for at least £530 million, but this amount could prove to be much higher" - assesses the analyst from the Eastern Studies Centre.
Despite the controversy, President Volodymyr Zelensky supported the purchase of the reactors. The transaction could be finalized within a few months.
The reactors Ukraine intends to acquire were initially produced under a 2008 agreement with Bulgaria to construct the Belene power plant. This decision undermines Ukraine's efforts to involve the Russian atomic sector in Western sanctions. The Eastern Studies Centre reminds us that in February 2023, Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council imposed sanctions on both Atomstroyexport and Rosatom.
