From 4 to 8 November 2024, the IAEA Support and Assistance Mission on the Safety and Security of Radiation Sources in Ukraine (ISAMRAD) took place in Ukraine, which is the second mission of the Agency in this area after the initial mission was conducted at the initiative of Ukraine in July 2023.
In accordance with the ISAMRAD mission programme agreed by the IAEA and SNRIU, its purpose is to assess the state of safety and security of radiation sources at all stages of their use and management, including taking into account the assistance provided to domestic enterprises by the IAEA and international partners and donors through the IAEA RANET platform, as well as determining the priorities for further support of the entities to ensure and improve the safety and security of radiation sources under martial law, military risks, and continuation of military operations on the territory of Ukraine related to the military invasion of Ukraine by the russian federation.
In the course of the mission, the IAEA experts, accompanied by SNRIU and SSTC NRS representatives, visited the sites of a number of enterprises and institutions engaged in the use, transport, storage of radiation sources and spent radiation sources. During the meetings, discussions and consultations, a detailed consideration of further needs of the enterprises was carried out, as well as an assessment of the effectiveness of the use of the assistance already provided within the framework of the supply of equipment and services under RANET.
SNRIU representatives informed the experts of the mission about the problematic issues faced by the nuclear and radiation safety regulatory authority under martial law, specifics of regulation and measures applied by the SNRIU and its territorial inspectorates directly involved in the regulation of radiation sources to ensure effective regulation of nuclear and radiation safety in the country.
“Licensing of activities related to the production and use of radiation sources, as well as transport of radioactive materials and management of radioactive waste in the form of spent radiation sources, is carried out in full. State inspectors of territorial inspections within the SNRIU, in the context of limited inspection activities, maintain constant communication with the entities, analyse licensees' reporting information and safety assessments as part of their supervisory activities. In case of loss of control by Ukraine in the territories where enterprises and institutions using radiation sources are located, the SNRIU promptly informs the IAEA through appropriate channels”, said Natalia Rybalka, Director of the Department on Radiation Technology Safety and Radioactive Waste Management, at the introductory meeting of the ISAMRAD mission.