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Daily Maverick
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Sanction Rosatom and send clear signal that occupation of nuclear plants will not be tolerated
The occupation by Russia of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) is the first instance in history where a nuclear power plant has been militarily occupied and operated for over three years during active warfare. The deadline that US President Donald Trump had established for Russia to start a ceasefire, stop its aggression against Ukraine, or otherwise face the threat of sanctions was 8 August 2025. This was the sixth time that Trump had demanded that Vladimir Putin stop the war; however, Putin had previously declined such offers. The day passed uneventfully. During the 11 years of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, numerous peace initiatives have emerged, including the African Peace Mission. But analysts see little sign that Putin is prepared to abandon his intention to take control of Ukraine. In 2022, Russia declared in its Constitution that four Ukrainian regions were part of its territory, but failed to fully take over any of them militarily. Now Putin would have to amend the Russian constitution to halt the aggression at the current frontline — a highly risky political move that could bring about the end of his political power. Thus, he is demanding that Ukrainians leave their homes 'voluntarily' because the Russian army failed to take these territories by force. In July this year, Russia launched more than 6,000 drones and fired dozens of missiles targeting Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, killing civilians far from the frontline. Just in the first half of this year, 6,754 civilians have been killed or injured, according to the UN. The war remains intense, and no one is safe in Ukraine. Nevertheless, hopes are high again for 15 August, when Trump is expected to meet with Putin in Alaska, the territory the US once bought from Russia. President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has previously spoken in support of Ukraine's territorial integrity, also spoke with both the Russian and Ukrainian presidents last week, raising expectations that a ceasefire may be possible. Sanctions The expectations are that Trump can speak from a position of strength and threaten sanctions. However, given Russia's negligible trade with the US, what sanctions could Trump introduce that would be meaningful? The Russian state budget used to receive about 50% of its revenue from oil and gas exports; this had already dropped to 30% in 2024. Further sanctions could seriously undermine the Kremlin's ability to fund the war, which is expensive to run. In 2025, a record 40% of Russia's state budget has been allocated to defence and security. Another 6%-10% of revenue comes from the Russian state agency Rosatom, which serves a dual role: developing civilian nuclear reactors and acting as a strategic arm of the Kremlin's military sector by producing parts for non-nuclear weapons and other defence technologies. Rosatom's subsidiaries supply components to Russia's military-industrial complex, including drone technologies. Some of these facilities, such as the drone production factory in Alabuga, have been accused by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime of recruiting African women aged 18 to 22 to drone production under allegedly false promises of a 'work-study programme'. Rosatom, whose regional office has operated in South Africa since 2012, plays a key role in the military occupation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe's largest nuclear power plant, seized by Russian military forces in March 2022 and turned into a geopolitical hostage. The occupation of the plant is the first instance in history where a nuclear power plant has been militarily occupied and has been operated for more than three years during active warfare. Rosatom plays a key role in this precedent. The violations of the International Atomic Energy Agency's seven nuclear safety pillars — the physical integrity of facilities, operability of safety systems, autonomy of staff decision-making, secure off-site power, uninterrupted logistics, effective radiation monitoring and reliable communication with regulators — have already been documented at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The detailed analysis of these violations and what they mean for the African continent is presented in the Policy Brief on Nuclear Safety during Military Invasion, presented ahead of the African Union's Mid-Year Coordination Meeting in Accra in July 2024. The brief presents a comprehensive case study of nuclear vulnerability during wartime and calls for urgent action by African countries, including South Africa, to prevent similar situations on the continent. However, the challenges at the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant go beyond the risk of physical damage to the facility. In May 2025, the International Labour Organization (ILO) reported that 13 Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant employees had been abducted, including three cases this year. The whereabouts of at least one detained worker remains unknown. The organisation also documented forced labour, coerced union membership and serious occupational safety risks for staff. Pressure to sign contracts More than 40 documented witness accounts by human rights organisations such as Truth Hounds suggest that since March 2022, Rosatom experts were fully aware of the pressure that the military personnel were putting on the nuclear operators to sign contracts with Rosatom. They were aware of interrogations, detentions, torture, psychological coercion and decisions to deny shift rotations. This is not a technical dispute. It is a systematic breach of international humanitarian law and nuclear safety norms, and of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. International mechanisms such as the UN have been powerless in the face of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant occupation. In July 2024, the UN passed a resolution — 'Safety and security of nuclear facilities of Ukraine, including the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant' — condemning the Russian occupation of the plant and calling for the immediate withdrawal of military forces to ensure global nuclear safety. Many African countries supported this resolution, recognising the threat to international peace posed by the militarisation of a civilian nuclear site. In addition, 13 African states — including Ghana, Kenya, and Zambia — endorsed the Peace Summit Communiqué in Switzerland, affirming Ukraine's sovereign control over its nuclear sites. However, these international documents lack binding power. Torture Instead, sanctions or a refusal to cooperate with organisations that support torture could reduce the funding available for the war. Such sanctions can be implemented by any country that aims to promote human rights and nuclear safety. South Africa co-chairs the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Ukraine is one of the few countries that gave up its nuclear weapons, despite holding the world's third-largest nuclear arsenal prior to 1994. That year, it voluntarily disarmed, joined the Non-Proliferation Treaty, accepted International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards, and allowed international inspections. In return, the US, the UK and Russia committed to respecting and protecting Ukraine's borders and sovereignty. The silence and acceptance of military risks, and the violations of international labour practices, corporate responsibilities and human rights, show why governments that want to protect their population must act — not in reaction to a European war, but in defence of their own nuclear future. DM Dzvinka Kachur is with the Ukrainian Association of South Africa. Volodymyr Lakomov and Ilko Kucheriv are with the Democratic Initiatives Foundation.
IOL News
27-04-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
SA's non-aligned status in critics crosshairs
Dr. Reneva Fourie The scheduled visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to South Africa this week was abruptly shortened following a devastating Russian attack on Kyiv. While presented as part of the African Peace Mission initiative and the country's broader diplomatic engagements, the meeting came at a sensitive moment, defined by growing international calls for a negotiated end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, even as certain Western powers appear determined to prolong the war. Since the outbreak of hostilities in 2022, South Africa has charted a careful and principled course rooted in impartiality, multilateralism and consensus building. Unlike the polarised positions of many NATO-aligned countries, South Africa consistently withstood the pressure to adopt simplistic binaries in an undeniably complex geopolitical conflict. The country's approach has been shaped by the foundational values of the Non-Aligned Movement –emphasising neutrality, peaceful resolution of disputes, and respect for diverse historical and political contexts. In line with this stance, South Africa consistently abstained from all UN General Assembly resolutions relating to the Ukraine war. The actions were not an endorsement of aggression but a recognition that peace cannot be achieved through partisan posturing. It was also a statement against the selective application of international law, wherein sovereignty is upheld in Ukraine but conveniently disregarded in other regions facing Western interventions. President Cyril Ramaphosa's leadership further demonstrated South Africa's commitment to meaningful diplomacy. In June 2023, he spearheaded an unprecedented peace mission to Kyiv and Moscow, joined by a delegation of African heads of state. It was the first instance of African leaders undertaking a peace initiative outside the continent. The mission conveyed that Africa, long sidelined in global conflict resolution, was prepared to offer a credible alternative to militarised stalemates. Following the visit, South Africa remained engaged in quiet diplomacy. Ramaphosa continued direct discussions with Zelenskyy and Putin, focusing on tangible confidence-building measures. These included facilitating the release of prisoners of war and ensuring food security through uninterrupted grain exports. It further reiterated that the United Nations must play a central role in ending the conflict, insisting on a multilateral framework that promotes justice and sustainability over short-term political gain. Given the ongoing violence and the growing toll of the war, the pressure to find a peaceful resolution between Russia and Ukraine is mounting. Zelenskyy's inflexible position in the negotiations, as well as the timing and optics of the visit, risked sending the wrong signal. Some feared it might complicate delicate efforts to return both sides to the negotiating table. This is especially true given the Western media's tendency to cast Ukraine in uncritical heroic terms while erasing the complex origins of the war. South Africa's critics of the visit pointed to the selective narrative surrounding Ukraine's sovereignty. Western powers have invoked Ukraine's territorial integrity with unflinching consistency. Yet, those same voices were conspicuously silent during the 2014 Maidan coup, which saw the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych. That event – widely acknowledged as being spearheaded by the United States and the United Kingdom – marked a rupture in Ukraine's democratic order and triggered deep divisions within the country. In its aftermath, the Donetsk and Luhansk regions held referenda overwhelmingly in favour of independence, results dismissed in the West but remaining a central factor in understanding the legitimacy crisis that followed. By failing to acknowledge this context, much of the Western narrative – and, by extension, Zelenskyy's rhetoric – reduces a multifaceted conflict to a simple invasion story. Adding to the controversy, domestic critics such as the South African Communist Party (SACP) publicly opposed Zelenskyy's visit. They questioned his legitimacy as Ukraine's leader, noting that his presidential term had lapsed without a new election, a fact largely overlooked by his Western backers. While President Putin recently secured re-election within Russia's legal framework, Zelenskyy continued to hold office under emergency powers, raising concerns about democratic accountability. The SACP also warned of the broader implications of hosting Zelenskyy. They cautioned that his visit could entangle South Africa in the geopolitical objectives of Western powers, who have used Ukraine as a proxy front in their competition with Russia. The SACP argued that this alignment risked drawing South Africa into an imperialist agenda that starkly contrasts its values of sovereignty, justice, and non-interference. These warnings echoed the sentiments of several South Africans who feared that the country's hard-won international credibility as a neutral mediator could be compromised. As chair of the G20, South Africa had taken a bold stance in advocating for inclusive negotiations and highlighting the devastating global impact of protracted conflicts, particularly on developing countries. The Johannesburg G20 foreign ministers' meeting saw South Africa emphasise the need for economic development through peace and global cooperation. Aligning too closely with any single actor in the Ukraine conflict could jeopardise this carefully cultivated leadership role. Ultimately, the question is not whether South Africa should engage with Ukraine – it should and has done so responsibly. The issue lies in how such engagement is perceived and whether it serves Pretoria's vision of a multipolar, just world order. South Africa's refusal to conform to Western narratives continues to be both a strength and a necessity. In this way, South Africa stands not only as a defender of its interests but also as a beacon for others, advocating for a world where all narratives are valued and heard. * Dr Reneva Fourie is a policy analyst specialising in governance, development and security.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Zelensky to visit South Africa on April 10 for talks with President Ramaphosa
President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit South Africa on April 10 to meet with the country's president, Cyril Ramaphosa, and discuss efforts to end Russia's war against Ukraine, Bloomberg reported on March 7. "The visit is a continuation of ongoing engagements held by President Ramaphosa with President Putin and President Zelensky on an inclusive peace process that will provide a path to peace between Russia and Ukraine," said Ramaphosa's spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya. South Africa, the continent's largest economy, has maintained a neutral stance in the war while deepening its economic and political ties with Moscow. The country is a member of the BRICS group alongside Russia and China and conducted joint naval drills with both nations while resisting Western calls to distance itself from the Kremlin. Ramaphosa previously led a peace initiative in 2023 alongside leaders from five other African nations, but the effort failed to yield concrete results. During a visit to Kyiv on June 16, 2023, he presented a 10-point peace plan as part of the African Peace Mission. Zelensky's rare upcoming visit is part of a diplomatic outreach to Africa as Kyiv seeks broader global support before upcoming peace negotiations. Read also: Germany should reduce reliance on US arms amid geopolitical shifts, Airbus Defense and Space CEO says We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
