SIPRI Research Policy Paper "Nuclear security in Ukraine and the Black Sea Region: New Threats, New Risks, New Consequences"
By Vitaly Fedchenko, Wilfred Wan, Polina Sinovets and Iryna Maksymenko
Questions about nuclear security—whether smuggling of nuclear material or loss of radioactive sources—have been common in the Black Sea region over the past three decades. The Russian military’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and its attacks on and purported annexation of Ukrainian nuclear installations presented further—and extraordinary—nuclear safety, security and safeguards challenges. As well as their significant impact on the international nuclear security regime, they necessitate changes in the national nuclear security regimes of Ukraine and the other states of the Black Sea region.1 What are those changes? What other changes will potentially be necessary? How do the nuclear security officials in those states perceive the new nuclear security threats relevant to them? How do they plan or propose to address those threats?
This SIPRI Research Policy Paper addresses these questions, highlighting special challenges that arise from dealing with nuclear security threats in extraordinary circumstances.