Russia Holds Major Nuclear Accident Drill at Beloyarsk Plant

More than 1,000 people began a two-day emergency exercise at Russia’s Beloyarsk nuclear power plant on Tuesday, testing how staff and emergency services would respond to simultaneous accidents at two reactors. The exercise in the Sverdlovsk region, which organizers said is the largest in Russia’s nuclear industry this year, will simulate a natural disaster compounded by failures in reactor safety systems. The plant’s reactors will continue operating normally throughout the exercise, its communications department said. Emergency crews will extend the drill to the nearby town of Zarechny on Wednesday to rehearse the response to a simulated nuclear accident. Crews in protective equipment will use fire engines and military vehicles to clear debris, extinguish simulated fires and set up decontamination facilities. They will also practice sheltering and evacuating residents. Plant management has asked residents to remain calm during the exercise, which may include sirens and loudspeaker announcements. The drill is part of an annual program in which different Russian nuclear plants take turns hosting large exercises. Plant officials said the scenario combines highly unlikely events to test emergency preparedness. Russian federal regulations require nuclear plant operators to hold exercises involving specialist support teams and emergency services at least once a year. International Atomic Energy Agency safety standards also call for regular drills to test coordination between plant staff and outside agencies. The agency’s guidance includes exercises involving emergencies at multiple reactors on the same site. Participants at the Beloyarsk drill include plant employees, specialists from nuclear plant operator Rosenergoatom and state nuclear corporation Rosatom, rescuers, police, medical workers and local officials. Military radiation, chemical and biological defense units are also taking part, along with observers from Belarus and Kazakhstan. Beloyarsk supplies about 16% of the Sverdlovsk region’s electricity. Its two operating units use BN-600 and BN-800 fast-neutron reactors, which began operating in 1980 and 2015, respectively. The exercise comes amid reported drone strikes on Russian nuclear infrastructure, though its announced scenario centers on a natural disaster and equipment failures. Rosatom said drones struck cooling towers at the Kursk II nuclear power plant twice this year, hitting unit 2, which is under construction, on July 6 and unit 1 on Sept. 17. The company said neither incident affected plant operations or radiation levels. This article was translated with the help of artificial intelligence and was reviewed by a Moscow Times editor before publication. Learn more about our newsroom's AI policy here . Read this article in Russian at The Moscow Times' Russian service. A Message from The Moscow Times: Dear readers, We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent." These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia. We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help . Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $ 2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact. By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us. Once Monthly Annual Continue Not ready to support today? Remind me later .