Chief engineer of Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant killed in alleged Ukrainian drone attack

The chief engineer of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, located in Russian-occupied territory, has died following what Russian state nuclear agency Rosatom described as a Ukrainian drone attack. Rosatom announced the death on Wednesday, stating that Aleksandr Iakovlev and his driver were killed when a drone struck a plant vehicle.

Alexei Lihacev, the general director of Rosatom, told Russian press that the incident was a "selective terrorist attack by the Kyiv regime." He added, "An enemy drone attacked a plant vehicle carrying the chief engineer and the driver, both of whom were killed."

Rosatom claims that the area around the Zaporizhzhia plant has been repeatedly targeted in recent months. According to Lihacev, "In the last two and a half months, 13 people have been killed and 48 injured" in attacks attributed to Kyiv. On the same day, Russian-installed authorities in Energodar announced power outages, which they also blamed on Ukrainian attacks.

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe's largest nuclear facility, has been under Russian occupation since March 2022 and is situated near the front lines in southeastern Ukraine. The plant continues to operate with Ukrainian personnel, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) maintains a team of experts on-site.

Since the beginning of the war, the plant's vicinity has been subjected to numerous drone attacks and shelling. Both Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of responsibility for incidents around the nuclear facility, repeatedly fueling fears of a major nuclear accident.