Expanding criminal liability for violation of nuclear and radiation safety rules at nuclear power facilities

Currently, there is an increased scientific and practical significance in researching criminal acts related to attacks on nuclear power facilities, in particular, violations of radiation safety rules and requirements. The legislator considers these acts to be particularly socially dangerous. Criminal liability for criminal attacks on nuclear and radiation safety is established in Articles 215, 220, and 221 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. These articles are systemically linked to Articles 246 and 247 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. It would seem that the elements of the crimes provided for in these criminal laws should not raise many questions among representatives of the criminal law doctrine, but there is some legal uncertainty, particularly in determining the subjective aspect of the crime in question. The aim of the study is to formulate proposals for improving criminal liability for violations of nuclear and radiation safety regulations at nuclear power plants based on the analysis of existing criminal law measures. Research methods include general scientific methods (analysis, synthesis, and deduction) and specific scientific methods (formal-logical, structural, and document analysis). The main result of the research is the development of an author’s definition of the concept of “nuclear safety”, as well as suggestions for the need to modernize criminal legislation in the field of nuclear and radiation safety. The main significance of the work is that it eliminates the ambiguous interpretations of legal norms and addresses gaps and contradictions in criminal legislation.