CND Press Roundup Friday 18th March, 2022

Posted: 18th March 2022

War In Ukraine

Sussex World has published a letter by CND member Evie Sier on the threat of a nuclear confrontation over Ukraine. In response to Vladimir Putin’s threat to use nuclear weapons she warns the international community not to “fall into the trap of escalating the threat of nuclear war by matching his nuclear rhetoric,” and calls for urgent preparations to be made to address the human and ecological impacts that may come from any damage “done to nuclear, chemical, and other industrial facilities in Ukraine.”
Greenpeace has called for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to suspend the watchdog’s Deputy Director General, over former links to Russia’s state nuclear energy organisation ROSATOM. Mikhail Chudako held several official positions at ROSATOM, including as Deputy Director. Greenpeace said Chudako’s ongoing tenure at IAEA would see its credibility “directly undermined,” as a result of Russia’s invasion and the taking over of Ukraine nuclear facilities by Russian troops.
Al Jazeera writes on the possibility of a nuclear disaster in Ukraine. It quotes Nikolai Sokov of the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation who doesn’t rule out a nuclear incident: “Nuclear power installations are designed for peacetime. This is the first time we see major fighting in a country with lots of such facilities. This is a unique situation that no one prepared for.”
Britain’s largest union, UNISON, has issued a statement condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and expressing solidarity with Russians protesting the war. It also notes the threat of a nuclear confrontation and calls for the building of a mass anti-war movement: “We particularly note the danger of escalation into nuclear conflict and the threat to human existence this would entail. We reiterate our opposition to use and maintenance of all nuclear weapons. Despite the terrible situation, we support the building of unity among workers across national boundaries. The workers of Ukraine and Russia have common interests. We stand in solidarity with those in Russia who have protested against the invasion, despite police repression. We support the building of a mass anti-war movement, including among Russian troops.”
The former mayor of Hiroshima has called on Russia not to use nuclear weapons over Ukraine. Tadatoshi Akiba said the victims of the atomic bombs used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki went through a “living hell” and “despicable reality they somehow managed to survive.” A petition started by Akiba at the start of March has so far gained 92,000 signatures, with a target of 150,000.
My London has a story on why a No-Fly Zone over Ukraine should be implemented in order to prevent a disaster at Ukraine’s nuclear plants. Oleksandr Polishchuk, a banker who now coordinates aid work for the Ukrainian Social Club said: ”Our critical need is air defence, including a no fly zone. NATO and the UK are not willing to put pilots in. I understand that….But nothing prevents the UK and NATO from giving us planes. We have nuclear facilities that are being attacked. The fallout would be worldwide.” It fails to consider that a NFZ implemented by NATO could actually escalate the conflict into a nuclear one.

Iran Nuclear Deal

The Independent reports on the efforts to revive the Iran nuclear deal in the wake of the war in Ukraine. In addition to the ongoing negotiations in Vienna, it looks at the recent release of British-Iranian hostages by Tehran, as well as US Republican efforts to scupper any deal “that has time limits on restrictions to advanced nuclear work,” or doesn’t address other issues like Iran’s ballistic missile programme or support for non-state actors in Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. It notes that while Republicans may not be able to stop a deal now, winning big in November’s midterm election could see them gaining control of both houses of Congress, making it impossible for Democrat President Joe Biden to stay in any new accord.

North Korea

North Korea’s neighbours say it recently attempted a suspected missile launch that failed shortly after take off. Pyongyang held two secret tests in February and March believed to be elements of a new Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) system, leading to assumptions by the US that a full test-launch would be attempted soon. South Korean officials said the projectile seemed to explode in mid-air while still in its booster phase, at an altitude of below 20 kilometres.

UK Nuclear Energy

MPs and Peers from the Nuclear All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) have published a roadmap that calls for 15GW of new nuclear generation by 2035 and 30GW by 2050. The five-point plan asks for a commitment to both large-scale plants as well as small modular reactors (SMRs), as well as a plan to reclassify nuclear power as “green energy” so it can benefit from the Green Financing Framework

Proliferation

CND’s Sara Medi Jones gets a mention in this piece in Live Sciences looking at how many nuclear weapons exist. She notes that “there was actually an increase in deployed warheads last year [2021], and all nine nuclear-armed states are either upgrading or increasing their arsenals.”

Fukushima

Japan’s Prime Minister is looking into the possibility of a nuclear police service to better protect the country’s 59 nuclear reactors. Fumio Kishida said that public interest in the security of nuclear plants had surged since footage emerged of Russian troops taking over Ukrainian nuclear facilities. It comes as some Japanese politicians are pressuring for the resumption of work at shut nuclear reactors – closed since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster – to tackle rising energy prices. In response to the idea that civilian nuclear plants are a security risk, the US-based Nonproliferation Policy Education Center said: “If we are serious about nuclear security, this has got to change. At a minimum, Congress should follow Japan’s lead and ask the Pentagon to clarify what the military vulnerabilities of civil nuclear plants are and identify what, if anything, can be done to reduce them. Meanwhile, instead of pushing reactor exports to potential war zones, our government and others should tap the brakes.”

CND History

Labour’s Richard Burgon writes for Jacobin Magazine on the legacy of Tony Benn, on the week marking eight years since the former MP’s death. CND gets a mention when discussing Benn’s “breathtaking” activism: “He was a leading member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament from its formation, and later, he was president of the Stop the War Coalition. Benn famously spoke on the largest march in British history — in 2003, against the Iraq War.”

With best wishes,

Pádraig McCarrick