CND Press Roundup Thursday 22nd September 2022

• The Polish government said it would start distributing iodine tablets among the population, amid fears of an accident at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine.

• Vladimir Putin’s latest round of nuclear threats as he announced a “partial” mobilisation of Russian reservists to fight in Ukraine received several rounds of condemnation. NATO boss Jens Stoltenberg called it a “dangerous escalation” in an exclusive interview with Reuters. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden used his speech to the UN General Assembly to accuse Putin of violating the founding tenets of the UN. Meanwhile the Pope said it would be madness to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. He also praised Kazakhstan for its courageous decision to give up its nuclear weapons after the collapse of the Soviet Union, during a discussion on his recent trip to the country. Liz Truss in her first major diplomatic event as UK PM said Putin’s nuclear threats were a signal of his “catastrophic failures” on the battlefield.

• The UN’s nuclear watchdog said it won’t abandon working on its plan for a safety zone around Zaporizhzhia despite Putin’s mobilisation announcement.

• The UK is among a number of countries at the UN General Assembly to sign a joint statement on the safety and security of nuclear plants during times of conflict.

• CND gave its backing to Russians opposing the war in Ukraine, as Putin’s mobilisation order led to fresh calls for anti-war demonstrations in cities across Russia.

• The Guardian’s Dan Sabbagh writes on how Putin’s nuclear sabre-rattling is to strike fear in western nations.

• The Telegraph looks at Putin’s nuclear threats and how the use of “tactical” nuclear missiles would be received by NATO and Russia’s allies. The paper also looks at the wider mobilisation and the forces within the Kremlin vying for influence.

• Meanwhile, a former Putin advisor, Sergei Markov, told the BBC Today programme that the president made it clear that Russia would use a nuclear weapon and that the UK could be a target. “When Great Britain continues to be the aggressor against Russia, if the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Liz Truss, still has the plan to destroy Russia, people in London should understand this threat comes from Liz Truss, who is the aggressor…Now we are liberating Ukraine from your British-American occupation… You support nuclear terrorism,” he said.

• Another Putin ally, former President Dimitri Medvedev, also made threats of nuclear war if Russian territories come under attack – including Russian-occupied regions in Ukraine which are set to hold referenda on joining the Russian Federation next week. “Russia is ready to defend territories added to it with all means, including strategic nuclear weapons,” he said.

Nuclear Energy

• World Nuclear News looks at the challenges posed to the roll out of small modular reactor nuclear plants – with one being the lack of an industrial base to churn out the technology to meet expected demand.

Nuclear Energy

• German nuclear provider E.ON has informed the government in Berlin that a leak found at the Isar 2 nuclear power plant in Bavaria is not a security concern – but could complicate the county’s emergency energy plan over the winter.

Iran Nuclear Deal

• Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi made an appearance at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday – where he demanded the US guarantees the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal. Later that day, Joe Biden said the US was willing to lift sanctions under the plan, but Iran needed to stick to its obligations – vowing that the US would never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.