VLADIVOSTOK, September 4. /TASS/. Moscow is taking measures to protect the Kursk and Zaporozhye nuclear power plants from external impact, Russian Energy Minister Sergey Tsivilyov said.

"We are currently taking a number of measures to increase the facilities’ resistance to external impact. I will not talk about it publicly but I would like to point out that this is a very serious issue because nuclear power plants are definitely very vulnerable to military operations," he told reporters on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).

The minister added that by ensuring the security of the two nuclear power plants, Russia is protecting not only its own people from potential negative developments, but also Ukrainians and Europeans. "If, God forbid, an accident occurs, a radioactive cloud will cross Ukraine on its way to Europe," Tsivilyov noted.

According to him, the situation around the Kursk and Zaporozhye nuclear power plants is difficult. "The nuclear power plants that were built in the Soviet Union are capable of resisting serious threats, but technological ones. No one ever thought about the need to protect them from drone, artillery and missile strikes. They clearly don’t have such security systems," the Russian energy minister explained.

Eastern Economic Forum

The Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) is underway on the campus of the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok on September 3-6, 2024. The main theme of the EEF in 2024 is "Far East 2030. Combining strengths to create new potential."

The EEF is one of the largest international conferences in Russia. It has been held in the Primorsky Region’s Russky Island in Vladivostok since 2015. The Forum is the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who decreed that the event be held annually.

The Roscongress Foundation has served as the Forum’s organizer since 2016. TASS is the general information partner of the EEF.