Russia has accused Ukraine of killing a key employee of the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in a drone attack, raising fresh concerns over security around Europe’s largest nuclear facility.
Alexei Likhachev, head of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom, said a Ukrainian drone strike on the city of Enerhodar on Wednesday left one plant worker dead and another critically injured.
Enerhodar, located in southeastern Ukraine, serves as the residential hub for most employees of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, which has remained under Russian control since the early months of the war in 2022.
According to Likhachev, the deceased employee worked at the plant’s central repair workshop, a department responsible for maintaining critical equipment essential to the facility’s operation.
“This is core personnel whose work directly affects the safe functioning of equipment at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant,” he said.
Russian officials said doctors are still fighting to save the life of the second employee wounded in the same attack.
Ukraine did not immediately comment on the allegation, and Reuters said it could not independently verify Russia’s claims.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility has remained one of the most sensitive flashpoints in the Russia-Ukraine war. Both Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused each other of endangering the plant’s safety through military operations around the site.
Concerns over a potential nuclear incident have persisted since Russian forces seized control of the facility in 2022.
International observers have repeatedly warned that fighting in the area poses significant risks to both workers and nuclear infrastructure.
The latest accusation comes just months after Russia reported that another employee linked to the power plant was killed in what it also described as a Ukrainian drone attack.
While the battlefield conflict continues to intensify across several fronts, the incident underscores the ongoing dangers surrounding the Zaporizhzhia facility, where any escalation raises fears far beyond the immediate war zone.
For now, the circumstances surrounding the reported attack remain disputed, with no independent confirmation available and no official response yet from Kyiv.
