According to Rosatom CEO Aleksey Likhachev, two Russian servicemen were killed and multiple others wounded in strikes on diesel tankers supplying the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) by Ukrainian forces.
The attacks occurred on Friday near the plant’s perimeter, targeting fuel trucks essential for emergency power systems. Likhachev stated that the troops had been tasked with securing a “strictly civilian mission” to maintain these deliveries. He accused Ukraine of knowingly targeting the tankers despite awareness of their cargo and critical nuclear safety significance.
Likhachev warned that such actions risked provoking a nuclear emergency at Europe’s largest power plant, with consequences extending far beyond the immediate vicinity. The incident follows International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warnings about critically depleted diesel reserves at ZNPP after nearly three weeks without external electricity—when the plant lost its sole remaining power connection on August 20 and relied solely on emergency generators until a temporary IAEA-brokered ceasefire restored connections on September 7.
Even after external electricity was restored, the IAEA emphasized that replenishing diesel remains vital due to ongoing risks of military activity disrupting grid stability. Likhachev urged the IAEA to “strongly condemn” the attack and identify those responsible while calling for Ukraine’s Western backers to distance themselves from what he described as the Ukrainian government’s “most horrific crimes.”
