Russia Holds Major Nuclear Drill, Simulates Two-Reactor Accident at Beloyarsk Plant

More than 1,000 people gathered for the beginning of a two-day emergency exercise at Russia’s Beloyarsk nuclear power plant on Tuesday, Oct. 6, rehearsing the response to simultaneous accidents at two reactors. The drill, according to Russian state-owned media Oblastnaya Gazeta, will run through Wednesday at the plant and in the nearby town of Zarechny in the Sverdlovsk region. It is Russia’s annual large-scale nuclear emergency exercise, hosted by a different plan each year.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The plant’s communications department described it as the largest this year in the Ural Federal District and in the country’s nuclear industry. “We ask you to remain calm and not interrupt your activities,” Beloyarsk Director Yuri Nosov told Zarechny residents, warning they may hear sirens and loudspeaker announcements, and witness crews in protective gear, alongside military vehicles in the streets. The scenario stimulates a natural disaster combined with failures of reactor safety systems. During the exercise, the plant’s reactors are expected to keep operating normally. What the drill involves The multi-unit accident will be modeled on simulators of the plant’s units 3 and 4. Meanwhile, crews will practice evacuating residents, clearing debris and extinguishing simulated fires, and will set up decontamination points inside Zarechny. The participants will include specialists from operator Rosenergoatom and state nuclear corporation Rosatom, Defense Ministry radiation, chemical and biological defense troops, police and rescuers, medics from Russia’s Federal Medical-Biological Agency (FMBA), plant staff, and local authorities. Other Topics of Interest South Korea Faces Questions Over Russia Fuel Shipments Reports of 176,000 tons of fuel reaching Russia via South Korea coincide with an ongoing diplomatic spat between Kyiv and Seoul. Ten foreign observers from Belarus and Kazakhstan will also attend the drill to study Russia’s emergency response. Russian federal regulations require nuclear plant operators to hold such exercises at least once a year. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safety standards also call for regular drills, including scenarios with emergencies at several reactors on one site. According to The Moscow Times, Beloyarsk supplies about 16% of the Sverdlovsk region’s electricity. Drill comes as Russia’s nuclear rhetoric intensifies toward Europe The drill coincides with escalating Kremlin nuclear rhetoric toward Europe. Separately on Tuesday, Lithuania’s parliament voted to remove the constitutional provision banning nuclear weapons: 106 lawmakers in favor, 18 against and six abstaining. To move forward with the decision, the amendment must win at least 94 of 141 votes again in a final vote, scheduled for Jan. 12, 2027, according to LRT. Lithuanian Parliament Speaker Juozas Olekas said that the decision would strengthen Lithuania’s resilience and deterrence capabilities, while also removing a legal distinction between Lithuania and other EU and NATO members. “We are responding to Russia’s aggression,” Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas said. “If Russia had not started the war in Ukraine, we probably would not be having the discussions we are having today.” Currently, Lithuania’s prohibits weapons of mass destruction and foreign military bases to be stationed on Lithuanian territory, according to the Article 137. The proposed amendment would remove that ban. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier said that lifting the ban could further escalate tensions in the region. “A military base is part of military infrastructure. If someone’s military infrastructure – in fact, that of a major NATO member – is approaching our borders, of course, this can only be viewed as a step toward escalation,” he claimed, according to LRT. “As for Russia, of course, Russia will have to take all necessary measures to guarantee its security,” Peskov continued. Dmitry Medvedev, former President and current Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, also threatened Lithuania by saying the country would “disappear from the map of the world” should it lift its longstanding ban. He claimed NATO would not invoke Article 5 to defend it, as the move would mean a “global catastrophe.” Medvedev made the remarks on Friday, Sept. 11, after Russia had already threatened Vilnius earlier that same day. On Oct. 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened Europe with nuclear weapons in case of a “direct attack” on the exclave of Kaliningrad, wedged between Lithuania and Poland. His comments came after Russia’s embassy in Belgium accused NATO – which is exclusively a defensive alliance – of an “aggressive policy” without specifying which actions prompted the warning. The warning marked the latest in a string of threats from senior Russian officials aimed at Ukraine’s Western allies, raising fears that the Kremlin may be searching for a possible justification for a direct attack on the Baltic states. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.