t has been almost 2 years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and 30 years after Bellona published its first nuclear report on Russian nuclear issues. As the war in Ukraine grinds on Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom has emerged as an important player in Russia’s war effort. On February 28th you will have the opportunity to watch the live english broadcast of the Bellonaforum in Oslo, where we will be discussing the following topics:

• How has the war affected the Russian nuclear industry? (We discuss trade, nuclear weapons and the seizure of Ukrainian nuclear power plants)

• What role does the Russian nuclear industry play internationally – and to what extent is it an instrument of the Kremlin? (We discuss markets, sanctions and the EU policy).

• Is there any progress in the work on nuclear clean-up in north-west Russia where the former military bases with spent nuclear fuel are located? (Bellona played an important role in raising awareness and securing funding for this issue. We talk about the termination of international cooperation and the current state of things). 

We will present our analysis of the development, along with invited scientists, journalists and representatives of Norwegian authorities. You will have the opportunity to ask questions online during the broadcast. 

To watch the broadcast that will start on 28 February from 11:00 to 13:00 (GMT+1) please sign up here. 

Speakers:

11:00 – Frederic Hauge, The Bellona Foundation: Bellona’s Nuclear Russia work – before and after the invasion of Ukraine

11:20 – Alexander Nikitin, The Bellona Foundation: Strategic goals of Bellona’s nuclear project during the war. The «nuclear legacy» of the Arctic, today and in the future

11:50 – Thomas Nilsen, The Independent Barents Observer: Russia’s secret reactor-powered nuclear weapons program. Testing and deployment in the Arctic

12:05 – Dmitry Gorchakov, The Bellona Environmental Transparency Center: The activity of Rosatom in Ukraine and on the international stage during the war

12:20 – Ingar Amundsen, The Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority: Norways cooperation with Ukraine to address threats in wartimes

12:35 – Kacper Szulecki, The Norwegian Institute of International Affairs:Russian nuclear energy diplomacy before and after the invasion of Ukraine: the broader picture

13:00 – 13:30 – Panel discussion 

Moderator: Oskar Njaa, The Bellona Foundation