Yerevan /Mediamax/. Russia is compelled to consider new nuclear safety risks arising from the potential construction of American small reactors on Armenian territory.

According to RIA Novosti, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu emphasized that the region is highly seismically active, and that Soviet engineers implemented unique solutions when building the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant, enabling it to withstand the devastating 1988 earthquake. 

Shoigu noted that Russia will need to account for the fact that “American experiments in the field of nuclear technology” will be conducted nearby. 

He also pointed out that the United States currently lacks the technology to process spent nuclear fuel. Consequently, if small reactors are deployed in Armenia, spent fuel would remain in the country, creating long-term safety risks.