Nuclear safety and security

Regulations for uses of radioactive materials

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June 1 2025	Nuclear risk during the Russian invasion of Ukraine Ukraine conducted a coordinated drone attack targeting Russia's strategic bomber force, which represents one leg of Russia's nuclear triad.
May 4 2025	Nuclear risk during the Russian invasion of Ukraine Vladimir Putin gave an interview addressing his 25 years in power, where he commented on nuclear weapons in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, stating he 'hoped that there would be no need to use nuclear weapons' to bring the invasion 'to its logical conclusion'. www.reuters.com Putin expresses ‘hope’ that nuclear weapons will not be needed in Ukraine \| Russia-Ukraine war News \| Al Jazeera www.aljazeera.com
April 2025	Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant crisis ZNPP director Yuriy Chernichuk announced plans to become compliant with Russian Rostekhnadzor regulations by 2028, suggesting a potential restart of two nuclear units, contingent on ending hostilities and obtaining a new water supply for cooling after the Kakhovka Dam's destruction.
April 2025	Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant crisis The United States and Ukraine independently submitted peace proposals to European officials in Paris, both including provisions for returning Ukrainian control of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, with the US proposal additionally suggesting the plant supply power to Russian-controlled territory. thebulletin.org www.axios.com
2025	National Nuclear Energy Commission Brazil plans to build seven additional nuclear reactors to expand its nuclear energy infrastructure. Brazil looks to nuclear expansion - World Nuclear News www.world-nuclear-news.org Nuclear Power in Brazil - World Nuclear Association world-nuclear.org
February 2025	Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission Employee salaries were stopped due to a disagreement with the Ministry of Science and Technology, leading to staff protests over ministry interference in the Ruppur Nuclear Power Plant project.
February 2025	Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant sarcophagus The New Safe Confinement building was damaged by a drone attack. Russian drone attack damages Chernobyl nuclear plant's protective shield, no radiation leak reported \| Euronews www.euronews.com IAEA: Chernobyl drone strike latest threat to nuclear safety in Ukraine -- ANS / Nuclear Newswire www.ans.org
2024	Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority Abdul Rehman becomes the latest Secretary of PNRA, taking office in 2024 and continuing to serve in the present.
2024	Goiânia accident The Hong Kong disaster thriller film 'Cesium Fallout' was partially inspired by the Goiânia radioactive accident.
2024	Nuclear risk during the Russian invasion of Ukraine Multiple Russian government 'red lines' are crossed without nuclear weapons being used, reducing the immediate perceived nuclear threat breakingdefense.com How Serious a Threat Is Russia’s New Nuclear Doctrine? \| Carnegie Endowment for International Peace carnegieendowment.org
December 10 2024	Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant crisis An IAEA vehicle was hit by a Russian drone while transporting IAEA observers to ZNPP for rotation. The attack occurred 8 km from the front line on the Ukrainian side. No crew members were wounded due to the vehicle's armored construction.
December 9 2024	Nuclear risk during the Russian invasion of Ukraine Belarusian President Lukashenko confirmed the presence of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus, specifically mentioning the Oreshnik missile system.
December 7 2024	Nuclear risk during the Russian invasion of Ukraine Russia and Belarus signed an agreement providing security guarantees, including nuclear security and potential use of Russian nuclear weapons to repel aggressions. Putin signs agreement offering Russia's security guarantees to ally Belarus \| AP News apnews.com Security above all: A revised Belarus–Russia alliance \| OSW Centre for Eastern Studies www.osw.waw.pl
November 19 2024	Nuclear risk during the Russian invasion of Ukraine Putin signed a decree allowing Russia to use nuclear weapons in response to conventional attacks by a non-nuclear state supported by a nuclear power, effectively lowering the nuclear strike threshold. www.reuters.com Putin fine-tunes Russia’s nuclear doctrine after Biden’s arms decision on Ukraine, in clear signal to West \| CNN www.cnn.com
October 4 2024	Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant crisis Ukrainian Main Directorate of Intelligence assassinated Andrei Korotkiy, the head of security at ZNPP (a Ukrainian national), in a car bomb attack in Russian-controlled Enerhodar.
October 1 2024	Nuclear close calls During Iran's ballistic missile strikes on Israel, the Tel Nof Airbase, believed to store Israel's nuclear weapons, was hit multiple times, including a strike that caused secondary explosions.
September 25 2024	Nuclear risk during the Russian invasion of Ukraine Putin warned the West that Russia would consider nuclear retaliation if attacked with conventional weapons, threatening nuclear powers supporting attacks against Russia. Putin issues nuclear warning to the West over strikes on Russia from Ukraine \| CNN www.cnn.com www.reuters.com
September 20 2024	Nuclear risk during the Russian invasion of Ukraine Russia attempted to test its newest ICBM, the RS-28 Sarmat, but the test failed, resulting in destruction of the launch silo and surrounding facilities.
August 2024	Nuclear risk during the Russian invasion of Ukraine IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi issued an urgent call for 'maximum restraint' from Russia and Ukraine regarding the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, due to significant military activity near the facility during the Kursk Oblast incursion.
August 11 2024	Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant crisis IAEA team reported an alleged drone attack on one of the plant's cooling towers, with 'strong dark smoke' observed. No immediate nuclear safety threat was confirmed.
July 2024	Price–Anderson Nuclear Industries Indemnity Act Act extended through 2045 as part of the ADVANCE Act.
July 3 2024	Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant crisis Russian management of the Zaporizhzhia plant reported drone strikes resulting in injuries to eight employees. The IAEA did not attribute the attack to any specific drone operator.
July 1 2024	Orphan source incidents A van containing five drums of Technetium-99 and Germanium-68 was stolen in São Mateus, eastern São Paulo. The theft was only made public on July 5th. By July 5th, one blue drum was found open in an empty lot.
June 13 2024	Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant crisis IAEA update confirms all six units of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant are in cold shutdown. IAEA team continues to hear fighting in the area and reports a land mine detonation at the site.
May 2024	Orphan source incidents Two Americium-241 sources were deposited at a swap shop during the Electromagnetic Field Festival in Eastnor, Herefordshire. The sources were recovered for disposal by a festival participant.
May 2024	Nuclear risk during the Russian invasion of Ukraine Ukrainian drones conducted attacks on two Russian early-warning long-range Voronezh radars, targeting sites in Armavir (southern Russia) and near Orsk in Orenburg Oblast, raising international concerns about escalating tensions in nuclear infrastructure vulnerabilities.
March 2024	Discharge of radioactive water of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant The discharge of treated radioactive water was temporarily suspended following a 5.8-magnitude earthquake in the Fukushima coastal region. No abnormalities were detected with the wastewater treatment during this interruption.
March 2024	Discharge of radioactive water of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Fourth round of water discharge completed, with no abnormal tritium levels detected in nearby waters.
March 1 2024	Nuclear risk during the Russian invasion of Ukraine In an interview with El País, NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană states that NATO does not see an imminent threat of Russia using nuclear weapons, while criticizing Putin's dangerous rhetoric that erodes international trust.
February 2024	Discharge of radioactive water of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant A leak was detected by a contractor at the power plant, with 5.5 tonnes of potentially radioactive water escaping due to 10 out of 16 valves being left open, seeping into the surrounding soil within the plant compound.
February 29 2024	Nuclear risk during the Russian invasion of Ukraine During his annual Presidential Address to the Federal Assembly, Russian President Vladimir Putin warns that more direct Western intervention in Ukraine would result in a nuclear conflict, threatening potential strikes on Western targets.
February 26 2024	Nuclear risk during the Russian invasion of Ukraine French President Emmanuel Macron meets with European heads of state in Paris, declining to rule out the possibility of deploying Western military personnel in Ukraine, stating that 'anything is possible' to help Ukraine win the war.
January 2024	Nuclear power accidents by country At the Dukovany nuclear power plant in Czech Republic, unit 3 experienced a critical safety incident where all three redundancies of the digital Reactor protection system were lost for approximately one hour. During this period, no safety systems, including automatic Reactor scram, were operational, posing a significant potential risk.
2023	Nuclear power accidents by country A deep corrosion crack was discovered at a pipe connecting the Emergency core cooling water system with the Reactor one's core cooling system at the Penly nuclear power plant in France, which elevated the risk of a potential Loss-of-coolant accident. The incident was rated 2 on the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES).
2023	Nuclear close calls Reports emerged suggesting that Trump had considered using nuclear weapons against North Korea in 2017.
2023	Fukushima nuclear accident A dose-response relationship study was published, suggesting potential underreporting of thyroid cancer incidence due to societal and political pressures.
2023	Fukushima nuclear accident A docudrama series called 'The Days' was released, depicting the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident over a period of 7 days, based in part on Masao Yoshida's testimony from The Fukushima Nuclear Accident Report. mydramalist.com The Days review – this nuclear disaster drama is no Chernobyl \| Television & radio \| The Guardian www.theguardian.com
December 20 2023	Nuclear safety and security The e-CFR (electronic Code of Federal Regulations) was updated with the current version of 10 CFR Part 73, detailing regulations for physical protection of nuclear plants and materials.
October 2023	Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant crisis A second reactor (unit 5) was brought into hot shutdown to provide additional warm water and district heating for the upcoming winter season. The IAEA team reported hearing four explosive blasts near the site.
October 2023	Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant crisis The IAEA reported that 11 recently completed underground wells were in operation, providing sufficient water for all 12 sprinkler cooling ponds.
October 9 2023	Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant crisis Ukrainian Intelligence Chief Kyrylo Budanov confirmed three failed attempts to capture Enerhodar and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant during August 2022, with the third attack involving specialist foreign soldiers from the International Legion.
August 2023	Discharge of radioactive water of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Fisheries minister Tetsuro Nomura called the treated radioactive water 'contaminated', but later apologized and retracted the statement after receiving instruction from Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
August 25 2023	Discharge of radioactive water of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant TEPCO reported that tritium levels in seawater around Fukushima remained below the detection limit of 10 Bq/L. The Japanese Fishery Agency confirmed no detectable amounts of tritium in fish caught 4 km from the discharge pipe.
August 24 2023	Discharge of radioactive water of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Japan began discharging treated waste water into the Pacific Ocean, which triggered protests in the region and prompted China to expand its ban on aquatic imports from Japan.
August 24 2023	Discharge of radioactive water of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Protests against the water discharge erupt in South Korea, Hong Kong, and Tokyo, with approximately 50,000 people gathering in Seoul and some attempting to storm the Japanese embassy.
August 23 2023	Discharge of radioactive water of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka expresses support for the IAEA report, stating the plan meets international safety standards.
August 22 2023	Discharge of radioactive water of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Japan announced plans to release treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean within 48 hours, despite regional opposition. The water was treated using the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) to remove radiation, with tritium remaining as the primary radioactive element.
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