Abstract: the article analyzes the various manifestations of terrorism using nuclear weapons and ionizing radiation as a special type of terrorism. They analyzed the possibility that terrorist groups would possess nuclear weapons and use them for terrorist purposes. The forms and methods of terrorist activities using nuclear weapons are also given. It was concluded that nuclear terrorism includes various forms of threats, including not only nuclear weapons, but also sources of ionizing radiation used for terrorist purposes. It was also shown that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the countries that signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and other international treaties seek to become an insurmountable obstacle for terrorist organizations seeking to purchase the necessary nuclear materials and equipment to create nuclear weapons. However, there is a certain gap between the UN Security Council resolutions on the prevention of nuclear terrorism and some global initiatives adopted against international terrorist acts. These global initiatives are moving with the overlapping goal of global nuclear security. This measure, taken to date to address the issue of nuclear security, is one-sided in nature, as it addresses insider threats. The threat of nuclear terrorism is the rationale for nuclear disarmament. This is important because the international community must be on its guard against the growing threat of nuclear terrorism, in whatever potential form, from the explosion or detonation of IEDs to the destruction of nuclear installations or a full-fledged attack on nuclear facilities.
Keywords: treaty, nuclear weapons, nuclear tests, prohibition, accession, ratification, disarmament