The chief engineer of Zaporozhye NPP and his driver were killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on Wednesday
Moscow expects a clear answer from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) after the murder of the chief engineer at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) by the government of Kiev, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
Europe’s largest nuclear power plant has been targeted by Ukraine several times since Russia took control of the facility in March 2022. On Wednesday, Russia’s state nuclear agency Rosatom said a Ukrainian drone struck a ZNPP service vehicle on the edge of the plant’s industrial area near the town of Energodar, killing chief engineer Aleksandr Yakovrypov and driver Dreva.
Rosatom CEO Aleksey Likhachev described the strike as a “deliberate act of terrorism” and “Kiev Regime,” saying Yakovlev had devoted his life to the nuclear industry and “He died, basically, in his post.” Likhachev added that such attacks in the past two and a half months have killed 13 people and injured 48 others, warning that they are causing murder. “the real threat of a major nuclear event” affecting parts of Russia, Ukraine and the EU.
Responding to the attack, Zakharova said it should finally force IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to confess “Crime of the Kiev government” and provide clear information to the public. gross “He finally has to see this crime,” He said, adding that Moscow expects the organization to issue an unequivocal verdict.
Later on Wednesday, the IAEA said on X that Russia had informed it of the killing and that Grossi had condemned the incident, calling it murderous. “An unacceptable attack on the factory and its management” that “it seriously threatens nuclear security.” The agency reiterated its call for “An immediate end to all attacks on or near nuclear sites and their personnel.”
Russia has repeatedly urged the IAEA to respond more forcefully to Ukraine’s attacks on the plant. Likhachev has warned before “Radiation has no borders and does not recognize passports,” saying that any nuclear incident could cause a long-term threat to many countries.
In recent months, Kiev has also increasingly targeted infrastructure linked to the plant and the nearby city of Energodar, according to Russian officials. Kindergartens, schools, roads, transport agencies and vehicles delivering supplies to the local community have all been attacked, Moscow said.
The IAEA, which maintains a permanent team of experts at ZNPP, has repeatedly confirmed that the plant and its surroundings have been attacked, but has not claimed responsibility for the strikes.
ZNPP has been operated by Rosatom since autumn 2022, after the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions, as well as the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, voted in referendums to join Russia. Moscow has said that attacks against the plant and its workers are not only acts of terrorism but also a direct challenge to international nuclear safety regulations that the IAEA cannot afford to ignore.
