Playing with Fire at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and the Challenges for International Nuclear Law in Central Europe

Since the start of the military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine in February 2022, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station has been at the centre of heavy combat. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station, which is both the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and the tenth largest nuclear power plant in the world, has been targeted by various weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades and drones. The fact is that a potential nuclear accident in this installation may have tremendous transboundary impacts on the whole region of Central Europe. In this respect, the question arises of whether international law provides an appropriate reaction to these realities. Having outlined this question, one must bear in mind that since March 2022, the Ukrainian executive has lost effective control over the nuclear power plant, which has been controlled since then – in strict contradiction with the rules of international law - by the Russian Federation since then. This article analyses the potential applicability of three international agreements - the Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident, the Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency and the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage - and will respond to a potential accident in this nuclear power plant. This article is written from the perspective of the states of Central Europe, whose territories are most likely to be affected by a nuclear incident that occurred at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station.