IAEA Suspends Deputy Director General Mikhail Chudakov Over Misogyny
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has suspended Mikhail Chudakov, Russia’s top representative at the IAEA, from his position as Deputy Director General. Four officials familiar with the situation reported this to Bloomberg on condition of anonymity as they were discussing internal affairs.
Mr Chudakov, the highest-ranking Russian official at the UN nuclear watchdog, is facing an ethics investigation for writing a self-help book that labels feminists as “hysterical fanatics” and gays and lesbians as “perverts,” and for subsequently promoting it to a UN youth group.
The Background of the Incident
The book A Treatise on Life was self-published in 2025 under the pseudonym Valentin Voyutin, and was dedicated to Chudakov’s children. After Chudakov spoke at a meeting of the UN Nuclear Young Generation in Vienna, the English version was distributed electronically and subsequently forwarded to the head of the IAEA ethics office.
The book violates IAEA staff rules that prohibit discrimination and the creation of an unsafe work environment. Staff members who author books are also required to obtain clearance from agency headquarters and to avoid sensitive topics.
In the 76-page book, a copy of which was obtained by Bloomberg, Chudakov writes: “Never support feminist movements, so fashionable today, and never fight for women’s rights. Women already have more rights than men. And those leading this struggle are hysterical fanatics, dissatisfied with family life, lonely and ugly, masculine, whom no one will marry.” Chudakov also calls gays and lesbians “perverts and sodomites,” describes same-sex relationships as “sinful deviations,” and states that such “poison” cannot be allowed to “corrupt the youth.”
Reflecting on his work at the IAEA, Chudakov recommends a management style characterized by “strict autocratic leadership.” He advocates for a “dictatorship” disguised with a “pinch of democracy.” In other passages, he urges readers to remain loyal to “their country, Russia, the government.” In his writings, he frequently touches on international relations: he advocates for the suppression of dissidents while paradoxically advising engineers like himself to stay as far away as possible from the “poisonous spiders and snakes” that infest the realm of politics.
IAEA Response
Chudakov, who has served as Deputy Director General since 2015 and heads the IAEA Department of Nuclear Energy, will be temporarily replaced by Olena Mykolaichuk, a Ukrainian citizen who studied in Moscow before working at the decommissioned Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.
Chudakov’s suspension, which comes just one week before the IAEA General Conference, complicates this key annual event, which sees thousands of officials from around the world converge on Vienna to discuss their nuclear power programmes.
In addition to jeopardizing Chudakov’s employment, the ethics probe poses a challenge for IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, who is a candidate for the position of UN Secretary-General. Grossi declined to comment and has not yet spoken publicly about the incident. Last year, the Argentine diplomat distanced himself from diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs after the Trump administration threatened to cut funding to UN programs implementing DEI initiatives. To secure the top UN post next year, Grossi needs the unanimous support of all five permanent members of the Security Council: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Reaction of Other Organizations
According to Laura Holgate, the former US Ambassador to the IAEA, it is highly inappropriate for an international civil servant to publish and distribute such a document in their official capacity. Setting aside its jingoistic and intolerant content, the document fails to reflect the neutrality and professionalism that global citizens should expect from individuals serving in international organizations.
According to ILGA World, a Geneva-based organization advocating for lesbian and gay rights at the UN Human Rights Council, the IAEA must conduct a thorough investigation and take precautionary measures to protect all its staff. The UN is responsible for upholding the standards of conduct for the international civil service, and must take appropriate action when these are breached. These values apply to everyone and must guarantee the highest integrity.
According to Bloomberg