Putin Can Be Pressured to Pull Troops From Ukraine Nuclear Plant
The Russian president is using control of Zaporizhzhia to threaten Europe and hamper Ukraine’s troops. Here’s how to end the occupation.
Preparing for the worst at Zaporizhzhia.
Photographer: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images
Two decades ago, I spent more than two years sleeping a few decks above eight nuclear reactors onboard the Enterprise, the US Navy’s oldest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. I was the rear admiral in command of the Enterprise’s strike group, and “broke my flag” and sailed to a long combat deployment in the Middle East to support the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
I didn’t lose much sleep thinking about those reactors, because I knew how professional and meticulous the Navy was about operating them: All US submarines and carriers use nuclear propulsion. I spent a fair amount of time with our engineers and learned a great deal about the advantages and dangers of atomic power.
Today, I am losing sleep about the situation in Ukraine, where Russian President Vladimir Putin’s troops are occupying Europe’s largest nuclear power plant at Zaporizhzhia. Putin is truly playing with fire, and much of Europe (and Russia as well) are at significant risk of a nuclear incident with terrible long-term consequences. What should the international community do?