Russia alleged to have fired missles at the US funded $70 million Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology claimed to contain a research reactor

[Mary Wilson]

• 14:59, 6 Mar 2022
• UPDATED16:37, 6 Mar 2022

By Ed McConnell

Russia has fired missiles towards a nuclear reactor, it is claimed, as experts warn their actions could result in a radiation catastrophe in Ukraine.

Forces fired unguided rockets at the US-funded $70million Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology, which houses a reactor for research purposes, Emine Dzheppar, Ukraine's deputy minister for foreign affairs, said today.

The reactor is not as big as those found at power plants but if damaged would still pose a danger.

Ms Dzheppar said: "The Russian aggressor fired hail at the Institute's territory, where the Neutron Source nuclear facility is located, with 37 nuclear fuel cells loaded into its core.

"Destruction of a nuclear installation and storage facilities for nuclear materials can lead to a large-scale environmental catastrophe." ...

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-...clear-26399083

[Mary Wilson]

The Kyiv Independent@KyivIndependent
⚡️ Russian troops shell nuclear research facility in Kharkiv.

The Kharkiv branch of Ukraine’s Security Service reported that Russia used Grad multiple rocket launchers to shell the Kharkiv Physics and Technology Institute.

8:13 AM · Mar 6, 2022

https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1500474607459094528?cxt=HHwWgMC-wZTt4NIpAAAA

[Mary Wilson]

Physics World

Ukraine crisis: updates on the response from the physics and astronomy community

06 Mar 2022
Michael Banks

06/03/2022:

● The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported today that a building at the Kharkiv Research Institute of Physics and Technology had been struck by rocket fire. Built in 1928, the institute soon became a world-leading centre for low-temperature physics. In the 1930s, the physicist Lev Landau (who in 1962 was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics) led the institute’s theoretical physics department and together with the physicist Evgeny Lifshitz, the pair began writing a 10-volume Course of Theoretical Physics, which is still widely used as a graduate text.

Today, the institute carries out research into several areas including solid-state physics and plasma physics. The institute is also home to an experimental neutron facility — dubbed Neutron Source — that can produce medical isotopes for cancer treatment and is also used for training. The facility, which was built in 2015 with the help of Argonne National Laboratory in the US, includes a linear accelerator that produces 100 MeV electrons with a beam power of around 100 kW. These electrons are then fired at a (natural) uranium or tungsten target to produce neutrons that drive a “subcritical assembly” of 37 nuclear fuel cells.

The SBU noted that the missiles were fired from a “Grad” launcher although there were no indications that the building housing the Neutron Source had been damaged. “The destruction of nuclear facilities and storage facilities could lead to a large-scale environmental catastrophe,” the SBU notes.

05/03/2022:

● The Breakthrough Prize Foundation, which was inaugurated in 2012 by the Israeli-Russian venture-capitalist Yuri Milner, says it will make an emergency donation of $3m towards an international relief organisation that is helping victims of the conflict. “Stephen Hawking was convinced that humans must gain control over our aggressive instincts in order to survive,” the statement notes. “We owe it to ourselves, and the whole planet, to embrace our highest qualities.” ...


● Some 58 Breakthrough laureates, which include Witten, Alan Guth and Kip Thorne, came out with their own open letter, stating that they have watched Russia’s “unprovoked attack with horror”. “President Putin’s actions are cold-blooded, senseless, and entirely unjustified, violating both international law and the fundamental human rights of the Ukrainian people,” the laureates write. “We stand in admiration of the many Russians, inside and outside the country, who have spoken out against this evil, including scientists, writers, and people from all walks of life. Many have done so at great personal risk, and we commend them for their courage”. The prize winners also note their profound admiration for the “bravery and sacrifice [of the Ukrainian people], which serve as a beacon to all who struggle for democratic self-determination and freedom.”

04/03/2022:

● The European Commission has suspended co-operation with Russia on research and innovation. It says it will “not conclude any new contracts nor any new agreements” with Russian organizations under the €96bn Horizon Europe programme and is suspending payments to Russian entities under existing contracts. “All ongoing projects, in which Russian research organizations are participating, are being reviewed,” the statement notes. ...

● Over 150 Russian scientists who work on experiments at the CERN particle-physics lab near Geneva have penned an open letter expressing their “sorrow and regret” about the situation in Ukraine. “We stand against the military actions initiated in Ukraine by the authorities of Russian Federation,” they write. “We stand strongly for resolving the conflict through diplomacy and negotiations as the only appropriate way.” ...

https://physicsworld.com/a/ukraine-c...omy-community/

[sharon sanders]

bump this

[Mary Wilson]

Ukraine crisis: updates on the response from the physics and astronomy community

08 Mar 2022

Michael Banks

Physics World is providing regular updates on the response of the physics community to the unfolding Russian invasion of Ukraine and how international collaborations and projects in Europe and beyond are affected. ...

08/03/2022:

● The CERN council has today announced it has suspendedRussia’s observer status at the lab. “The 23 Member States of CERN condemn, in the strongest terms, the military invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, and deplore the resulting loss of life and humanitarian impact, as well as the involvement of Belarus in this unlawful use of force against Ukraine,” the statement says.

Observer status at CERN, which is awarded to states that have made significant contributions to the lab, allows non-member states to attend council meetings but they do not take part in decision making.

Hundreds of scientists from several Russian institutions work at CERN and in the statement the council says it “expresses its support to the many members of CERN’s Russian scientific community who reject this invasion. Yet it also says that the lab will not “engage in further collaborations with Russian institutions until further notice” and that the situation will “continue to be monitored carefully” with the council ready to “take any further measures, as appropriate, at its future meetings”.

Particle physicist John Ellis from King’s College London, who has spent most of his career at CERN, says the announcement comes as a “relief”. “There were fears that council would want to terminate all collaboration with Russian institutes and/or all Russians, and this danger has been averted,” says Ellis.

07/03/2022:

● In a statement, the CERN particle-physics lab near Geneva says that it stands in solidary with the people of Ukraine. “Following the invasion and subsequent escalation of aggression by Russian armed forces, a humanitarian crisis has been unfolding in Ukraine,” the statement says. “CERN wishes to express solidarity with our Ukrainian colleagues, their families and the entire Ukrainian people. ...

● The State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine(SNRIU) reported today that operational personnel of the Neutron Source at the Kharkiv Research Institute of Physics and Technology had inspected the damage caused by yesterday’s shelling (see 06/03 update). The officials discovered surface damage to the main Neutron Source building, the destruction of an electrical substation as well as broken windows and damage to the air-conditioning system for the linear accelerator. The SNRIU noted that prior to the Russian invasion the Neutron Source was in the initial start-up phase but once the invasion began on 24 February operators protectively removed the nuclear fuel. ...

https://physicsworld.com/a/ukraine-crisis-updates-on-the-response-from-the-physics-and-astronomy-community/

[sharon sanders]

bump this

[Mary Wilson]

Steve Herman
·
3h
Update:

Confirmed: The Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology in #Ukraine has fallen offline after an attack by Russia. The targeting of the lab which hosts an ADS neutron source is being called an "act of nuclear terrorism" by authorities.
https://twitter.com/W7VOA?ref_src=tw...Ctwgr%5Eauthor
________________________________

On the night of Thursday 10 March, an attack on the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology, which hosts an ADS neutron source facility, was labelled an “act of nuclear terrorism” by the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine. The incident following attacks at Zaporizhzhia and Chernobyl has heightened concerns that Russia might be intentionally targeting nuclear sites:

Work is ongoing to assess the incidents and their contexts. Telecoms disruptions in Ukraine have so far been attributed to power outages, cyberattacks, sabotage, and kinetic impacts.

https://netblocks.org/reports/intern...raine-W80p4k8K

[Mary Wilson]

Russia committed 'act of nuclear terrorism' by bombing science site, says Ukraine

Ukraine's Centre for Strategic Communications and Information Security warned that equipment at the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology could cause radioactive pollution if damaged

19:58, 10 Mar 2022
UPDATED 23:04, 10 Mar 2022

By Dave Burke Senior News Reporter

The Ukrainian nuclear regulator says Russia has committed an "act of nuclear terrorism" in bombing a research facility containing a reactor.

The State Nuclear Inspectorate of Ukraine said the reactor core at the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology in the city of Kharkiv had been loaded with fresh nuclear fuel just prior to the start of Russian aggression.

Russian forces carried out an airstrike on the science research centre in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv today, sparking fears of radiation exposure, according to reports.

In a statement released this evening nuclear watchdog said they were still assessing the damage to the site, adding: "This list of injuries is not complete at this time."

They said: "Prior to the Russian aggression, the Source of Neutrons was at the stage of physical start-up, during which the core was loaded with fresh nuclear fuel.

... The shelling was carried out at around 8.20pm local time, according to witnesses.

Ukraine's Centre for Strategic Communications and Information Security posted on Twitter: "In Kharkiv, eyewitnesses report a fire in the building of Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology.

"The building contains equipment which, if damaged, can lead to radioactive pollution of the environment."

The building has already been hit during Russia's bombardment of Kharkiv earlier this week.

After it was first targeted, authorities said the institute is home to a nuclear research facility with 37 nuclear fuel cells.

Russian strikes risked a “large-scale ecological disaster”, security services said three days ago after the facility was reportedly targeted.

Security consultants the Cavell Group tonight tweeted: Ukraine/Russia: "Significant artillery fire again tonight on Kharkiv and reports of air activity. Reports also that a large fire is burning at the Institute of Physics and Technology after it was targeted."

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/breaking-huge-fire-ukraine-science-26439132

[sharon sanders]

bump this

[Mary Wilson]

The Russians fired on the Neutron Source nuclear subcritical installation in Kharkiv

Date: 17:24, 25 june 2022

Anhelina Sheremet

In Kharkiv, as a result of regular shelling by the Russian army, the nuclear subcritical installation "Neutron Source" was damaged. A preliminary inspection showed that the ruscists had damaged the buildings and infrastructure of the industrial site.

The shelling occurred on Saturday, June 25, according to the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine.

...the situation at the Neutron Source is as follows: the nuclear installation has been moved to a deep subcritical state, operational personnel is monitoring the situation, and the radiation background in the experimental hall is within normal limits.

https://babel.ua/en/news/80516-the-russians-fired-on-the-neutron-source-nuclear-subcritical-installation-in-kharkiv?utm_source=social&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=share

[Emily]

I bolded a couple of text strings - E.

https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pressreleases/update-83-iaea-director-general-statement-on-situation-in-ukraine

Update 83 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine
115/2022
Vienna, Austria




Ukraine informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that shelling had caused additional damage to a nuclear research facility in the north-eastern city of Kharkiv on 25 June, but that radiation levels at the site remained normal, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today.
The facility is designed to conduct research – in areas such as nuclear physics, radiation materials science, biology and chemistry – and radioisotope production for medical applications. Its nuclear assembly is subcritical, and the radioactive inventory is low. Before the conflict, the facility was under commissioning, but it is not currently operating.
The facility has been hit previously during the conflict and it lost its external power supply in March.
In the latest shelling, Ukraine told the IAEA that the facility’s infrastructure, including the cooling system and the diesel generator building, had been damaged. However, the diesel generator remained available if needed, it said.
Measurements carried out with a portable dosimeter on the same day showed that the radiation background in the experimental hall of the Neutron Source building was “within the standard limits”, Ukraine said.
Based on the nature of the installation and these measurements, the IAEA assessed that there was no significant implication for its safety, Director General Grossi said.
Ukraine separately informed the IAEA on Sunday that the flight path of a missile had again passed over the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), the latest such incident during the conflict. Director General Grossi again expressed grave concern about the potential severe risks for nuclear facilities were such missiles to go astray.
Regarding the country’s operational reactors, Ukraine informed the IAEA that eight are currently connected to the grid, including two at the Zaporizhzhya NPP, three at the Rivne NPP, two at the South Ukraine NPP, and one at the Khmelnytskyy NPP. The seven other reactors are shut down for regular maintenance or held in reserve. Safety systems remain operational at the four NPPs, and they also continue to have off-site power available, Ukraine said.

Related resources

• Update 82 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine
• Nuclear Safety and Security in Ukraine
• Rafael Mariano Grossi

Jun
27
2022