Investigation: Corruption Behind French Nuclear Waste Dump in Armenia

Investigation: Corruption Behind French Nuclear Waste Dump in Armenia

Orano, the French state-owned nuclear company, has initiated covert shipments of depleted uranium waste to Armenia

A recent report by Courrier France 24 has revealed that Orano, the French state-owned nuclear company, has initiated covert shipments of depleted uranium waste to Armenia. This waste is being stored in a facility built in the Dilijan National Park,  leading to significant public outrage.

However, the story goes beyond environmental concern as the investigative report reveals that a suspicious financial transaction was recorded in April and May 2025  between “My Step Foundation“, led by Anna Hakobyan, the wife of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who received two separate donations of €800,000 from a French shell corporation with merky business activities, which had no previous record of charitable contributions.

The IAEA, which has been accused by Iran of having made false accusations against the Islamic Republic, which led to an illegal war of aggression, and subsequent US military strikes on its Nuclear facilities, notwithstanding the deplorable loss of life, over an alleged Iranian Nuclear weapon program, is yet to comment on the matter.

Depleted uranium (DU) arises as a by‑product of the production of enriched uranium. It is defined as uranium containing a lower mass percentage of 235U than is found in natural uranium. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), “managing the spent fuel arising from nuclear power plants until its disposal is an important step of the nuclear fuel cycle and constitutes the so-called back-end. While one-third of the spent fuel accumulating globally is reprocessed, most of it is stored until a decision is taken on the end-point strategy (processing or disposal).” The Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (Doc) was adopted in Vienna, Austria, on September 5, 1997, to establish fundamental safety principles and create a similar “peer review” process to the Convention on Nuclear Safety. The Convention applies to spent fuel resulting from the operation of civilian nuclear reactors and to radioactive waste resulting from civilian applications. It also applies to spent fuel and radioactive waste from military or defence programmes. France has been a member of the Joint Convention since June 18, 2001.

DOCUMENT: IAEA – The Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (Click Here for Source: IAEA)

A key challenge highlighted in Armenia’s previous National Reports, regarding the fulfilment of the Joint Convention’s obligations and the resolution of related issues, has been the sluggish advancement in the formation of a Centralised Radioactive Waste Management Organisation (National Operator) tasked with the long-term oversight of all radioactive waste within the nation.

It is difficult to imagine that Armenia has permitted the storage of nuclear depleted uranium waste in one of its most ecologically sensitive national parks, without a designated national operator to oversee radioactive waste management. And yet, here we are, with another corruption story which allegedly implicates the family of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Courrier de France has the story…

VIDEO: French Nuclear Giant ORANO dumps Depleted Uranium (DU) in one of Armenia’s most ecologically sensitive National Parks (Source: Courrier France 24)

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Romain FIASCHETTI reports for COURRIER FRANCE 24…

Orano secretly ships hazardous waste to Armenia and makes mysterious donations to a foundation linked to the Armenian Prime Minister.

The French state-owned nuclear company Orano has begun secretly transporting depleted uranium waste to Armenia, where it is being stored in one of the country’s most ecologically sensitive national parks, sparking outrage among environmentalists. The exports, which began in June 2025, follow a series of suspicious large donations by France to a foundation closely linked to the family of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Orano is a French nuclear fuel giant. For years, the company relied on Russia to store its reprocessed uranium and other radioactive byproducts of nuclear power generation. But after Western sanctions related to the war in Ukraine made shipments to Russia politically impossible, the company scrambled to find other solutions.

Internal Orano documents reveal that Armenia emerged as a sudden and unexpected solution. This shift came just weeks after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s high-profile visit to Paris in February 2025, where he met with Macron and French energy officials. In June, the first shipments of nuclear waste arrived in Armenia. They are being stored in a facility built in the Dilijan National Park, a biosphere reserve home to numerous endangered species.

While Orano was finalising its plans to export its nuclear waste to Armenia, a curious financial transaction took place. In April and May 2025, the My Step Foundation—a charitable organisation chaired by Anna Hakobyan, wife of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan—received two separate donations of €800,000 from a French shell company whose business activities are unclear. Financial documents show that the shell company had no history of charitable donations. Representatives for My Step did not respond to requests for comment.

Spent nuclear fuel remains highly toxic and poses long-term environmental risks. Its storage in Dilijan National Park—a seismically active zone—endangers the lives of wildlife and local communities. Nuclear fuel remains radioactive for thousands of years and can seep into the soil, poisoning the entire ecosystem.

The Orano-Armenia deal is part of a worrying global trend: companies from wealthy countries export their hazardous waste to poorer countries with lax regulations. However, what makes this case unique is the involvement of political figures—sudden donations from France to a foundation linked to Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan, followed by quiet approval for the export of nuclear waste to Armenia.

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See more reports from Courrier France 24

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