The key facts
- On November 9, two energy facility employees were killed: a ZNPP worker and a worker of the Zaporizhzhia Thermal Power Plant
- Grossi called the attacks unacceptable and a violation of nuclear safety principles
- The IAEA does not specify who launched the drones; the ZNPP press service attributes the strike on the employee to a drone of the Ukrainian Armed Forces
Two killed in a single day
The International Atomic Energy Agency reported on November 9, that on that day two employees of energy facilities were killed in separate drone attacks: one worker of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and, separately, an employee of the nearby Zaporizhzhia Thermal Power Plant. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi 'resolutely' condemned the attacks, calling them unacceptable and a violation of the fundamental principles of nuclear safety in conditions of armed conflict, and urged an immediate end to strikes on nuclear facility workers. He also stressed that personnel must be able to perform their duties without excessive stress and fear.
What is known about the circumstances
Russian sources provide more details about one of the incidents: according to the press service of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, on the morning of November 9 in Enerhodar, a drone of the Ukrainian Armed Forces struck a car, in which an electrician from the plant was heading to work; the man died at the scene from his injuries. The plant called what happened an irreparable loss for the team and stated that attacks on personnel create additional threats to nuclear safety. The IAEA itself, as noted by Life.ru, does not specify in its statement who exactly launched the drones. The Agency also pointed out that the incidents followed reports of the death of another nuclear plant employee in a drone strike several days earlier.
