Drone Attack on Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant: Chief Engineer Killed, IAEA Urged to Act

The driver of the service vehicle was also killed in the attack. "Likewise, the driver of the service vehicle was killed in the attack," according to the Russian side's account. Two deaths are therefore to be mourned, while the exact circumstances continue to rest exclusively on Russian statements.

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, has six reactors with a total nominal capacity of 6,000 megawatts. The facility has been under Russian control since it was captured by Russian troops in March 2022. Recurrent shelling has since posed a danger at the site; the report states: "Again and again, shelling creates danger."

Reactors Shut Down and Power Outage in Enerhodar

As an immediate consequence of the incident, all reactors had to be shut down for safety reasons. "For safety reasons, all reactors were shut down," Rosatom stated. The facility is therefore offline for the time being, while the consequences of the attack are being assessed.

The head of the Russian occupation administration of the Zaporizhzhia region, Yevgeny Balitsky, reported Ukrainian drone attacks on the town of Enerhodar, which belongs to the power plant, and shared this via Telegram. According to his account, the attacks caused a complete power outage in Enerhodar. "According to the information, social facilities had to be supplied with electricity via diesel generators," it continued.

Demands on the IAEA and International Reactions

Likhachev demanded a clear response from the international nuclear watchdog IAEA and announced that the Russian leadership had been informed. "The Russian leadership had been informed," he said. The IAEA is the central multilateral institution that monitors nuclear safety worldwide.

The spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, also turned to the public via Telegram and issued an appeal directly to the IAEA and its head Rafael Grossi. "We demand from the responsible international bodies, first and foremost the IAEA, a clear and unequivocal statement condemning this murder," Zakharova wrote.

Likhachev, by his own account, demanded a clear response from the IAEA. So far, there is no independent confirmation of the Russian account from Ukrainian or international sources. The IAEA itself has not yet publicly commented on the incident, as far as can be gleaned from the available reports.

Sensitivity: Nuclear Safety in a War Zone

The incident raises questions about the safety of Europe's largest nuclear power plant in the middle of a war zone. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has repeatedly been the scene of shelling and drone attacks in the past, with both Russia and Ukraine blaming each other.

The reactors remain shut down for the time being, while emergency power supply in Enerhodar is running on diesel generators. The already tense situation in the region has thus escalated further, and the pressure on the international community to find an answer to the incidents is growing.