Alexander Yakovlev, Chief Engineer of the Zaporizhia NPP (ZNPP), and his driver Dmitry Filippov have been killed by a targeted strike by a drone. The drone attacked their car right on the border of the industrial zone of the station and the entrance to Energodar.
ZNPP said on its Telegram channel: “This is the murder of a specialist who devoted his life to nuclear energy and was responsible daily for the safe operation of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is part of Rosatom. It is such people who ensure nuclear and radiation safety, on which the safety of millions of people depends – residents of the Zaporizhia region, Russia, Ukraine and the whole of Europe.
It continued: “Killing an atomic scientist is a crime that cannot be justified. This is an attack not only on human life, but also on the very principle of the safety of nuclear facilities, which must always remain outside politics and violence….We appeal to all employees of the plant and residents of Energodar. Our response to terror is unity. Our response to attempts to intimidate is solidarity. We must support each other, remain loyal to our cause, and stand together as a wall to protect our station, our city, and the people who ensure their safe lives every day.”
In a post on X, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it had “been informed by the Russian Federation that the ZNPP chief engineer was killed in a drone strike near the site today”. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi “condemns the reported incident which he says represents an unacceptable attack on the plant and its management, seriously threatening nuclear safety.”
Renat Karcha, an expert in the field of nuclear energy, adviser to the head of Crimea, deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Zaporizhia region, told MK how he remembered Alexander Yakovlev. “I’ve known Alexander Yakovlev since June 2022…He was one of the few people I considered my friend. And he was very kind to me. We were friends. He was thin and small, but he had a very strong inner core. He was a man of iron endurance and indomitable will. From the first days, he was with us until the end.”
Russia demands a clear and articulate condemnation of this murder by international structures, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told TASS. We demand from relevant international structures, primarily the IAEA, a clear, articulated statement condemning this murder,” she said in her Telegram channel.
In an official statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry called Yakovlev’s murder “another attempt to endanger the safe operation of the NPP and intimidate its employees.” The Foreign Ministry stressed that Kiev “is building illusions that it will be able to put pressure on the Russian Federation in this way.”
Likhachev said that Russia expects the IAEA to respond appropriately. He recalled that, in the last two months alone, 13 people have been killed and 48 injured in the area of ZNPP and Energodar. This creates “a real threat of a massive nuclear incident in vast territories of Russia, Ukraine and Europe,” he warned. “The world community should understand this. And, of course, we expect the IAEA to provide a prompt, concrete and clear response to the tragedy.”
Grigory Karasin, Chairman of Rusia’s Federation Council’s International Affairs Committee, told Izvestia Russia will demand a full-fledged international investigation into Yakovlev’s murder.
