Zaporozhskaya Nuclear Plant Chief Engineer and Driver Killed in Drone Strike
Dragon Media News Desk
The chief engineer of the Zaporozhskaya Nuclear Power Plant, Alexander Yakovlev, and service vehicle driver Dmitry Filippov were killed in a drone strike, according to Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom.
In a statement issued on July 15, Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev said a drone struck a plant service vehicle near the boundary between the nuclear facility’s industrial site and the city of Energodar.
Likhachev accused Ukraine of deliberately carrying out the attack. Ukraine had not issued an immediate formal response to the allegation.
Yakovlev was responsible for technical operations directly connected to ensuring the plant’s nuclear safety and physical security. Likhachev said he had devoted his professional life to the nuclear energy sector and was killed while effectively carrying out his duties.
Rosatom described the attack as an attempt to intimidate plant personnel and endanger the safe operation of Europe’s largest nuclear power facility. The corporation expressed condolences to the families, relatives, friends and colleagues of the two men killed.
Likhachev also accused Western countries of encouraging Ukraine to escalate attacks against Russian-controlled territory and infrastructure.
According to figures presented by Rosatom, 13 people have been killed and 48 injured in attacks in and around the plant over the past two and a half months. These figures represent the official Russian account and have not been independently verified.
The Rosatom chief warned that continued military activity around the facility could create the risk of a major nuclear incident affecting extensive areas of Russia, Ukraine and Europe.
He said Russia’s political leadership had been informed of the incident and called on the International Atomic Energy Agency to issue a swift, clear and unequivocal response.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi condemned the incident, describing it as an unacceptable attack on the nuclear plant and its management. He said the killing posed a serious threat to nuclear safety but did not attribute responsibility to either side.
The Zaporozhskaya Nuclear Power Plant has been under Russian control since 2022. Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly accused each other of carrying out attacks in the vicinity of the facility and the nearby city of Energodar.
The killing of a senior technical official and a service vehicle driver has renewed concerns about the safety of personnel working at the plant and the long-term security of the nuclear facility.
The incident also underscores repeated international calls for nuclear installations, their employees and associated infrastructure to be kept outside military operations.
