On 24 February 2022, Russia launched its war of aggression against Ukraine, marking the beginning of a period characterised by deliberate and repetitive actions compromising core values and principles of international nuclear safety rules, notably as laid down in the Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS). Russia’s actions, including military activities near and at nuclear civil installations, temporary occupation and disturbance of Chornobyl exclusion zone, illegal seizure of operational Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP), and unprecedented military targeting and destruction of related critical infrastructure essential to nuclear safety have severely undermined the safety of Ukraine’s nuclear installations. ENSREG has issued several public statements strongly condemning Russia’s military attacks on Ukraine’s nuclear power plants and related infrastructure, stressing that such actions significantly increase the risk of a nuclear accident with cross‑border consequences. In parallel, WENRA has published technical assessments focused on evaluating the safety implications of the military attacks on Ukrainian nuclear facilities.

At the 58th ENSREG plenary meeting on 26 March 2026, ENSREG with the participation, amongst others, of the Head of State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU) and the Chair of WENRA reviewed the consequences of Russia’s military actions which continue to significantly threaten the safety of Ukrainian nuclear installations. Having already expressed its concern several times since the beginning of the aggression about the risks to nuclear safety, ENSREG and WENRA deplore the continued targeting of civil nuclear installations, as exemplified by the drone damage to the Chornobyl New Safe Confinement, the repeated ‘loss of off-site power’ events impacting nuclear power plants, the continued occupation of the ZNPP, as well as the destruction of the Kakhovka dam which compromises the availability and reliability of cooling water to that plant. In particular, ENSREG and WENRA note with grave concern:

• The wilful disregard of the IAEA’s seven indispensable pillars for ensuring nuclear safety and security during an armed conflict, and the five concrete principles established to protect the ZNPP;
• The deliberate targeting and continued attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure causing damage to electricity sub-stations and the electricity grid which increase the probability of a station blackout event and erode the safety margins at the operating nuclear power plants;
• The frequent occasions when all off-site power has been temporarily lost at several installations including at the Zaporizhzhia and Chornobyl NPP sites, noting that such events are unsustainable and pose serious risks since nuclear power plants are not designed to rely on emergency diesel generators for extended periods;
• The frequent reports of Russian drones and missiles over Ukraine’s operational power plants which underlines constant dangers to nuclear safety.

Therefore, ENSREG members¹ and observers² commit to work with their governments and permanent missions to the IAEA, in preparation for the upcoming Review Meeting of the CNS, with the aim of presenting a common position on the risks to the safety of nuclear facilities and the integrity of the electrical infrastructures in Ukraine arising from Russia’s continued and targeted attacks. The CNS review meeting provides a unique occasion for the rule-obeying international community to take clear stance against Russia’s actions and military attacks impacting Ukraine’s nuclear installations, and to clearly state and record that it is Russia’s illegal and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine which endangers regional nuclear and radiation safety. Furthermore, ENSREG expresses its complete disagreement with Russia’s irregular reporting within the CNS framework on the ZNPP following on from its illegal occupation of the site.

ENSREG and WENRA express appreciation for the IAEA’s monitoring missions to Ukraine’s nuclear facilities and electrical substations, as well as for the IAEA Director-General’s role in ceasefire negotiations facilitating the repairs of off-site power lines to ZNPP. ENSREG and WENRA share the IAEA’s assessment that the current situation at ZNPP with respect to, among others, the availability of cooling water, the reliability of off-site power supply, the completion of overdue maintenance, availability of qualified staff, and the availability of spare parts does not support a return of ZNPP to normal operating conditions. Furthermore, ENSREG and WENRA consider that a restart of the ZNPP can only take place after the ZNPP returns under Ukraine’s sovereign control and with prior site demilitarisation and demining related to the Russian occupation, a comprehensive safety re-assessment and verifications. Any such restart must be under the legitimate Ukrainian licensing system with all safety conditions being prescribed and verified by Ukraine’s regulator, in cooperation with the IAEA. ENSREG and WENRA are ready to contribute to any international efforts to comprehensively review the technical and operational safety of the plant following the end of hostilities.

ENSREG and WENRA reiterate their full and continued support for the Ukrainian nuclear safety regulator, SNRIU - which has extensive experience, and in-depth knowledge of the facilities - and for the staff at the Ukrainian nuclear installations who continue to work under difficult conditions to assure the safety of these facilities on a daily basis.

This year in April, the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl accident will be commemorated, marking decades of international endeavour, in close cooperation with Ukrainian institutions, to stop the spread of radioactivity and to rehabilitate the Chornobyl site. These efforts have been undermined by Russia since the beginning the war, and particularly by the Russian drone attack in February 2025. Significant international donors’ commitments and years of work will now be required to remediate the new safe confinement and recover to the pre-war level.

Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is now in its fifth year. It continues to pose the largest threat to nuclear safety worldwide. ENSREG once more urges Russia to cease all military actions endangering the safety of nuclear facilities in Ukraine, to end the military occupation of ZNPP, and to allow the competent Ukrainian authorities to regain full control over all nuclear facilities within Ukraine’s internationally recognised borders.

¹ One ENSREG Member could not associate itself with this statement.
² Norway, Switzerland, Türkiye, Ukraine, the United Kingdom

To the document (pdf).