On March 12, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), in partnership with the Government of Canada, hosted a seminar in Vienna to discuss nuclear safety and security following a potential de-occupation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in Ukraine. Among the participants was a Ukrainian delegation that included representatives of WiN Ukraine: President Margaryta Rayets, Director of Development, Communications, and PR Renata Iaresko, and ZNPP employee, trade union activist, and WiN Ukraine Club member Aliona Prokopenko.
The discussion focused on identifying possible risks associated with a future Russian withdrawal from ZNPP, risk management strategies, and how the international community can support Ukraine in this process.
Opening the panel discussion on “The Human Factor and Gender Aspects of Safety and Security at ZNPP”, Margaryta Rayets emphasized that Russia’s war against Ukraine poses not only a national threat, but a global nuclear threat through the lens of nuclear terrorism rhetoric.
“This discussion is not only timely — it is essential. We must acknowledge the deeply human dimension of nuclear safety, especially in conflict zones. The Russian occupation of ZNPP exposed the staff to extreme risks — not just physical danger, but gender-based threats and psychological pressure.
Women, who are an integral part of the plant’s workforce, have faced complex challenges, including emotional trauma and, in some cases, torture. Despite these horrors, they have shown extraordinary resilience, maintaining vital safety protocols to protect the facility, Ukraine, and the global community.
War has not only deepened existing inequalities, but also created new vulnerabilities, putting women at exceptional risk in conflict zones,” said Margaryta Rayets.
Aliona Prokopenko delivered a powerful testimony:
“I came here not as a victim, but as a living witness. I want to deliver the truth to you — international nuclear safety experts, defense specialists, and emergency responders — about the real crimes committed by the occupiers, and the ZNPP employees who remain in Russian captivity. Behind every name is what matters most: a human life,” she said.
This seminar followed a major development on March 7, when the IAEA Board of Governors adopted a resolution initiated by Ukraine on nuclear safety, security, and safeguards. The resolution calls on Russia to immediately withdraw all unauthorized personnel, including military forces, from ZNPP, and to return the plant to full control of Ukraine’s competent authorities, in accordance with its operating license issued by the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine. This is a crucial step in preventing a global-scale ecological and nuclear disaster.
