The key facts
- According to Likhachev, four ZNPP employees were killed over two weeks, 14 in total since April
- On the morning of November 9, a drone struck the car of an electrical fitter in Enerhodar; the man was killed
- Likhachev links the deaths of personnel to a threat to the plant's nuclear safety
What happened
On the morning of November 9, at around 08:00, in Enerhodar a drone struck a passenger cardriven by an employee of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The man was driving a red Tavria to work and was killed in the attack, Life.ru reported. The victim worked as an electrical fitter at the plant.
Rosatom's statement
Rosatom Director General Alexei Likhachev said that the Ukrainian side has 'effectively begun eliminating' ZNPP employees. According to him, four plant workers have been killed over the past two weeks, and since April — when the situation around the facility escalated — the total number of killed employees has reached 14. Likhachev's remarks were cited by the newspaper Strana Rosatom.
The nuclear safety argument
Likhachev stressed that personnel play a key role in ensuring the plant's nuclear safety, so the deaths of workers also pose a threat to the safe operation of the facility itself. 'Where is that threshold at which the European countries will understand that Ukraine has effectively begun eliminating the most important system of ZNPP nuclear safety — the very people who ensure that safety for the sake of Europe's well-being?' — his words were cited by Life.ru. He also raised the question of whether this pace of worker deaths is sufficient for European leaders to pay attention to the situation in Enerhodar.
Context and limitations of the information
All of the cited figures on the number of deaths and the circumstances of the November 9 attack come from Rosatom and outlets relaying its statements; the available publications contain no independent confirmation of this information. According to the available materials, the Ukrainian side has not responded to these statements. No new details about the fate of the plant or its personnel after November 9 are given in the publications.
