Lithuania holding nuclear safety drill near Belarusian border

October 21, Pozirk. Lithuania is holding an exercise near Belarus’ border and 30 kilometers (19 miles) away from its nuclear power plant to train personnel in detecting smuggled radioactive material and responding to radioactive contamination.

The active stage of the exercise, Gama skydas 2026 (Gamma Shield 2026), took place between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Wednesday at the Kena railroad border checkpoint in Kalveliai, some three kilometers from Belarus, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service reported.

The stated objective of the exercise is to test Lithuania’s readiness to detect the illegal transportation of radioactive material by rail and respond to radiation contamination caused by negligence.

Officials from the US Nuclear Smuggling Detection and Deterrence Program were expected to join the drill.

Participants were to practice radiation monitoring, decontamination, emergency medical aid, initial investigative activities and the protection and evacuation of a guarded person.

The scenario includes an infrastructure cleanup operation intended to ensure a coordinated response to radiological threats at the EU’s external border.

“Controlled sources and environmentally safe fluorescent substances” will be used to simulate the incident, the organizers say, stressing that the drill poses no risks to local residents or drivers.

The construction of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant was completed in the fall of 2023. Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom) acted as the prime contractor in the project, financed with a Russian loan and reliant on Russian nuclear fuel. The plant’s first unit has been supplying electricity to Belarusian consumers since November 2020, and the second one since May 2023. The units began commercial operation in June 2021 and November 2023, respectively.

Authorities have announced plans to add a third unit to the plant and connect it to the power grid between 2035 and 2038. At the same time, they are not abandoning the idea of building a second nuclear power plant, in eastern Belarus.

Experts say that Belarus has no use for much of the electricity generated by the Belarusian Power Plant and warn that the project has made Belarus even more dependent on Russia. Lithuania expresses grave concerns about the safety of Belarus’ nuclear plant as well its would-be waste storage facility.

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