At this moment in time (March 13, 2022), perceptions of NATO’s bright line against intervention in Ukraine may increase the risk to hundreds of nuclear reactors around the world from non-state actors and other rogue nation-states.
Putin is forcing NATO to demonstrate how it reacts to atrocities committed by bad actors with nuclear power –in real-time. Therefore, potential bad actors are watching events unfold very carefully, and policy must be mindful of not only this high-stakes situation, but the potential for other WMD threats in the offing.
Putin will go down in history as the first to hold a nuclear reactor as a dirty bomb threat.
Non-state actor perceptions of NATO’s current line drawn against limited no-fly zone corridors risks increases increasing the potential dirty bomb value of nuclear reactors and countless chemical plants around the world.
However, deference must be given to NATO’s leadership for such grave decisions.
Experts have presented arguments for and against imposing a limited no-fly zone to protect humanitarian corridors:
See:
https://www.politico.com/f/?id=0000017f-750a-dea5-afff-f7ebb6ec0000
and
Brian Gorman,
Director, Biosecurity Commons