CND Press Roundup Wednesday 21st September 2022

• Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilisation in Russia on Tuesday – the latest escalation that gears the country towards a war footing after months of calling it a “special military operation.” The televised announcement came amid plans to hold referenda in four Ukrainian regions on unification with Russia. Blaming NATO for threatening Russia’s integrity, Putin accused the West of “nuclear blackmail” while also alluding to using nuclear weapons himself. “It’s not a bluff,” he added.

• Putin’s remarks on nuclear use was called “quite concerning” by UK foreign office minister Gillian Keegan. “It’s something that we should take very seriously because, you know, we’re not in control,” Keegan told Sky News.

• Japan’s Fumio Kishida denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine alongside its use of nuclear threats. “The threat of nuclear weapons, like what Russia did this time, let alone the use of them, are serious threats to peace and safety of the international community, and are never be acceptable,” Kishida told the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.

• Slightly out of date since this morning’s announcement, but this analysis in The Guardian ponders Putin’s nuclear brinkmanship strategy.

• The Metro asks which countries will be affected if a nuclear incident occurs at a Ukrainian power plant. The map shows most of eastern and central Europe would be touched by the disaster but mostly impacts Ukraine and Russia.

AUKUS

• The South China Morning Post runs an op-ed that argues that western imperial longing is more of a threat to South Asian security than the nuclear-powered submarines being sought by Australia.

• Global Times also covers AUKUS – and a heated exchange between China’s envoy to the Iran nuclear deal and the UN’s nuclear watchdog – who blasted the Australian submarine plan as a blatant violation of non-proliferation.

UK Nuclear Energy

• NFLA comments on the stalled progress at the Bradwell nuclear plant in Essex due to concerns over Chinese investment.  

Nuclear Energy

• More coverage of the legal action being taken by Greenpeace against the EU over its attempt to greenwash gas and nuclear plants in order to avail from a fund for renewable energy projects.

Iran Nuclear Deal

• Reuters reports on difficulties at the UN over reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Leaders are in New York this week for the organisation’s General Assembly.  

Fukushima

• An anti-nuclear campaigner in Japan has called for the Japanese government to seek the consent from local fishers – of any plan to pump millions of tonnes of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea. Hideyuki Ban, co-director of the Citizens’ Nuclear Information Center in Japan, said in an interview that the tunnel that would facilitate offshore dumping is unlikely to be up to scratch.