WIREDGOV

Despite its involvement in Russia’s nuclear and conventional weapons production, Rosatom continues to maintain access to European markets.

In early July, NATO Allies gathered in Ankara for the 36th NATO Summit. They reiterated the ‘long-term threat’ that Russia poses to Euro-Atlantic security and stability, restated their ‘unwavering support for Ukraine’ and announced a suite of new commitments on defence industrial cooperation and investment. Yet, an hour’s flight south of where the heads of the Alliance states were meeting, a different industrial cooperation project is making steady progress. On Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, Russia is putting the finishing touches on the first of four nuclear reactors at the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), ahead of its anticipated operational launch later this year. The NPP – expected to ultimately supply 10% of Turkey’s energy – is being constructed, and will be owned and operated, by subsidiaries of Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom.

The company’s role as a broker of soft power and strategic leverage for Moscow – across Europe, the US and further afield – has been widely documented. But Rosatom is not just a supplier of civil nuclear infrastructure. The company is one of the key stewards of Russia’s nuclear weapons complex and is increasingly involved in developing and supplying conventional weapons to the Russian military, including systems being deployed in Ukraine. Yet Russia’s nuclear sector remains largely unsanctioned, allowing Rosatom to continue generating revenue, including from business in Europe. Just as Rosatom’s activities have shifted to position it as an important player in Russia’s military industrial complex, so too should Europe’s approach to doing business with the state nuclear enterprise.

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