Ukraine is now in the business of assassinating those in charge of safety at nuclear power plants.
Late Wednesday night, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated: “On July 15, Ukraine committed yet another bloody crime, deliberately directing drones to strike a Zaporozhskaya NPP service vehicle carrying Chief Engineer of the NPP Alexander Yakovlev. His professional activities were directly connected with the nuclear safety and physical security of the plant, which has been a target of regular Ukrainian attacks and provocations… This criminal action by Kiev is yet another attempt to threaten the safe functioning of the Zaporozhskaya NPP and intimidate its personnel.”
It added that such actions are those of a “Nazi Bandera regime” blackmailing “its Western masters” for “more money and weapons.” But the masters, in facilitating such craziness, are “thereby becoming an accomplice to the crimes committed by the Kiev gang.”
The Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant posted on its Telegram channel: “This is the murder of a specialist who devoted his life to nuclear energy and was responsible daily for the safe operation of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, which is part of Rosatom. It is such people who ensure nuclear and radiation safety, on which the safety of millions of people depends—residents of the Zaporozhye region, Russia, Ukraine and the whole of Europe… Killing an atomic scientist is a crime that cannot be justified. This is an attack not only on human life, but also on the very principle of the safety of nuclear facilities, which must always remain outside politics and violence.”
And Aleksey Likhachev, the Director General of Rosatom (the agency that manages ZNPP), said that Russia expects the IAEA—after Kiev’s targeting of residents of the ZNPP area over the last two months has produced 61 casualties, including 13 deaths—to respond appropriately.
Kiev has created “a real threat of a massive nuclear incident in vast territories of Russia, Ukraine and Europe. The world community should understand this. And, of course, we expect the IAEA to provide a prompt, concrete and clear response to the tragedy.”
But IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi punted yet again, issuing his standard condemnation of whatever unidentifiable agency force might be behind the killings. Nuclear Engineering International quoted from the IAEA statement, that Grossi condemned “the reported incident which… represents an unacceptable attack on the plant and its management, seriously threatening nuclear safety.”
