Russian Nuclear Chief Accuses Ukraine of Attacking Fuel Trucks Near Zaporizhzhia Plant

The head of Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation said Ukrainian forces attacked Alexei Likhachev supplying the Russian held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Friday, killing two Russian servicemen and injuring several others. Alexei Likhachev said the strikes landed close to the plant’s perimeter and endangered safety at the facility, Europe’s largest nuclear power station with six reactors.

Fuel Deliveries Critical to Reactor Cooling

Likhachev described the incident as a series of combined strikes targeting a purely civilian fuel delivery mission. Diesel fuel is essential to the plant because backup generators rely on it to keep nuclear fuel cooled whenever the facility loses its external power connections. Both of the plant’s external power links were down for nearly three weeks in August and September.

Long-Running Dispute Over Plant Control

Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia plant early in the war that began in February 2022, and both sides have repeatedly accused each other of actions that risk a nuclear accident. Ukraine has called for Russia to relinquish control of the station and return its operation to Kyiv, a demand Moscow has rejected. The plant currently generates no electricity.

IAEA Maintains Presence and Mediates Repairs

The International Atomic Energy Agency has stationed a permanent observer team at the plant, along with Ukraine’s three other operating nuclear facilities. Last month, the agency helped broker a local ceasefire that allowed repair crews to restore the plant’s external power links.