Russia signed a pact guaranteeing Ukrainian sovereignty in exchange for their portion of the Soviet nuclear stockpile [my misremembering, this was incorrect: and a large amount of money]. You can see how much signatures are worth with Putin.

> sovereignty in exchange for their portion of the Soviet nuclear stockpile and a large amount of money

The money went the other way - "guarantee" of sovereignty plus financial compensation, in exchange for the nuclear weapons.

You’re right, thanks for correcting that.

This wasn't "messing around". For sure, that Russian unit was sent to capture the reactor. Wanting to control infrastructure like generators is an obvious and (fairly) rational strategic goal. Presumably the commander that ordered it felt it was worth the risk. That may not be a correct analysis (we'll see, I guess), but it surely wasn't done on a whim.

The 1949 Geneva Convention bans attacks on nuclear power plants, dams, etc (with some conditions).

Who gives a shit about a court martial? Like Russia would extradite soldiers to international courts or try them internally…

Or just submit some token soldiers and have them claim to have defied orders and acted on their own, not hard for an autocrat.