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Why a flooded Donbas mine alarmed Kyiv
Summary
Ukraine's ecology minister warned of a nuclear risk tied to a mine where a small device was tested in the 1970s.
What would happen if a mine that once hosted a nuclear test were allowed to flood? On 19 April 2018, Ukraine's ecology minister, Ostap Semerak, warned of a major nuclear disaster if pro-Russia separatists went ahead with a plan to flood such a mine in Donbas. A small nuclear weapon had been tested there in the 1970s.
Semerak appealed for international assistance to prevent the flooding. The appeal placed a local consequence of the war in Donbass before an international audience, framing the matter as a safety concern rather than only a military one.
A wider security backdrop
The warning came days after another dispute drew international attention. On 14 April 2018, Russia called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council following the bombing of Damascus and Homs, as it considered supplying S-300 missile systems to Syria.
The two items were separate, but both showed security questions involving Russia reaching international forums that month. For Kyiv, the immediate aim on 19 April 2018 was to secure outside help to stop the flooding.
