CND Press Roundup Wednesday 30th March 2022
Posted: 30th March 2022
War in Ukraine
The New York Times has a good op-ed from a former US Navy Scientist, Rod Buntzen, recalling his experiences of nuclear tests in the late 1950s. In light of recent threats of nuclear war as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Buntzen says: “Although the potential horror of nuclear weapons remains frozen in films from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the public today has little understanding of the stakes of the Cold War and what might be expected now if the war in Ukraine intentionally or accidentally spins out of control.” The original article is behind a paywall but republished here in full.
Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu has been holed-up in nuclear bunkers in the Ural mountains, after a prolonged absence from public had led to much speculation about his whereabouts and health. Flight tracker data analysed by investigative website Bellingcat found that Shoigu has been ferrying between bunkers some 1,000 miles east of Moscow, ever since the start of the invasion of Ukraine. He made his first appearance in over two weeks last weekend at a defence budget meeting.
The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog is in Ukraine for talks aimedat giving “urgent technical assistance” to Ukraine’s nuclear facilities. International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi is also expected to visit one of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, although the exact location has yet to be revealed.
The Brookings Institution looks at the Russia-Ukraine conflict and fears that the war will not be good for nuclear non-proliferation: “though some arms control advocates would like to argue that the only purpose of nuclear weapons is to deter a nuclear attack on one’s territory, recent world events confirm that nuclear weapons can have another plausible purpose for some countries. For smaller or weaker states, owning nuclear weapons helps ensure that a large country will not be able to attack them and overthrow their government. Or, at least, the converse is true — NOT having nukes clearly leaves one vulnerable.”
North Korea
AFP writes that North Korea’s recent test of its most advanced Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICMB) was a “fake” launch, and instead involved a less-advanced missile. Last week’s announcement that Pyongyang had successfully tested its new Hwasong-17 ICBM – capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to the mainland US – was accompanied by a flashy ‘Top Gun’ style video involving leader Kim Jong-un in sunglasses and a leather jacket and flanked by generals. But analysts say the latest test was a subterfuge using an older Hwasong-15 missile. It’s believed the test and video was aimed at shoring up domestic support ahead of Day of the Sun celebrations on April 15th – to mark the birthday of North Korea’s founding father – and Kim Jong-un’s grandfather – Kim Il-sung.
China
China is developing a high-speed “missile train” capable of whizzing nuclear weapons around the country. That’s according to research published in the Journal of Southwest Jiaotong University and reported by the Times. The “doomsday train” is said to be part of a new military strategy undertaken by Beijing, and while it is not confirmed that China has developed a rail-based launch platform, it reportedly conducted a mobile test of a DF-41 missile from a railway in 2015.
Fukushima
Japan’s prefectural governors have urged Tokyo to make a full plan for the protection of the country’s nuclear sites. The request includes the demand that the Japanese military is fully prepared to respond to armed attacks on the power plants – including from missile attacks. They also asked for Japan to use diplomacy to deter armed attacks, and for provisions to be made for nuclear power plants to be shut down if concerns of an attack arise.
CND History
Some coverage of CND Cymru’s touring exhibition to mark the 40th anniversary of the Nuclear Free Wales Declaration. The exhibition is currently being held at Glyndwr University in Wrexham and will travel to all eight of Wales’ county councils. CND Cymru’s Mary Jones said: “Whilst nuclear weapons exist, we’re all living under threat of them being used. This year, we are celebrating past campaigns which led to the historic signing of the Declaration, but importantly, we are campaigning today for counties, towns and cities across Wales to pledge support for the abolition of nuclear weapons.”
With best wishes,
Pádraig McCarrick
Press and Communications Officer
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament