Belarus concerned about reliability of Ukrainian nuclear power plants

MINSK, 25 October (BelTA) – There are concerns in Belarus about the reliability of the Ukrainian nuclear power plants, which capacity is stretched to the limit. Nikolai Shchekin, Candidate of Philosophical Sciences, Head of the Sociology of Public Administration Department at the Sociology Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, made the relevant statement in a recent broadcast hosted by the YouTube channel of Igor Tur, a political analyst of the Belarusian TV channel ONT, BelTA has learned.

The possibility of exporting electricity to Ukraine despite Ukraine's leadership's attitude to Belarus was discussed during the broadcast. Nikolai Shchekin said: “President Lukashenko has always been merciful, primarily to his neighbors. Moreover, towards a brotherly nation. Ukrainians have nothing to do with it although they did elect [Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy]. But energy security is the problem here.”

According to Nikolai Shchekin, 43 out of 69 thermal power plant units are idle in Ukraine at present due to coal shortages. Respectively the nuclear power plants are operating at their capacity to replace the missing energy. “The nuclear power plants are stretched to their limit. If, theoretically speaking, Belarus blocks or Ukraine blocks [electricity supplies], it is unclear how this social and energy experiment brought about by President Zelenskyy's criminal actions in Ukraine will end. It is necessary to calculate everything. Money is not the issue here but security is. The Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant is on its last legs. It has not been reconstructed for 30 years already. Experiments have been staged there. Who knows what happened. There are also many problems at the Rivne nuclear power plant.”

Nikolai Shchekin reminded that the Belarus president had helped Ukraine even in the most difficult times. “Yes, ambitions are at play. There may be some resentment. As a person the president may naturally be offended by, mildly speaking, unfriendly steps on the part of Zelenskyy and Zelenskyy's criminal steps towards his own nation. Certainly, it is up to the head of state to decide whether to supply electricity there or not. Ukraine has become a military political springboard for practicing new methods and a mechanism for counteracting Russia, including the Union State of Belarus and Russia. But then again people are innocent. And there is security to consider. No European country will help now. If we can sell something (we will earn foreign currency among other things), then I think god will forgive us in any case and our citizens will understand,” Nikolai Shchekin believes.