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Drone Attack Kills Worker at Russian-Occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
Confirmed
In Short: A drone attack on October 29 reportedly killed an employee of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on X.
A drone attack on October 29 reportedly killed an employee of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on X. The incident occurred amid a broader wave of Russian missile and drone strikes against Ukraine.
The IAEA has maintained a permanent monitoring presence at the ZNPP since September 2022 due to the risk of a nuclear accident. This latest attack follows an August incident where a drone explosion at a bus stop used by plant personnel killed one person and injured 15 others.
On the same day as the reported death at the nuclear plant, Russian forces launched multiple missile and drone attacks against the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporizhzhia, injuring at least 14 people, including a child, according to Ukraine's National Police.
The Russian bombardment of Zaporizhzhia late on Sunday hit apartment blocks, a university, and a shopping mall, wounding five people, President Zelenskiy said on Monday. Further south in Dnipropetrovsk region, a drone killed a car driver in Nikopol, a frequent Russian target on the west bank of the Dnipro River opposite the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
The US has sensitive nuclear technology at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant inside Ukraine and is warning Russia not to touch it, according to a letter the US Department of Energy sent to Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy firm Rosatom last month. The plant has frequently been disconnected from Ukraine’s power grid due to intense Russian shelling, raising fears across Europe of a nuclear accident.
The Energy Department’s Office of Nuclear Energy stated in June 2021 that the US helped implement new maintenance procedures and operations at the reactor to strengthen energy security in Ukraine. The letter, dated March 17, 2023, warns Rosatom that it is unlawful for any Russian citizens or entities to handle the US technology without authorization.
While the plant is still physically operated by Ukrainian staff, Rosatom manages it. The US Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration confirmed the letter's legitimacy.
Ukrainian officials say that a Russian drone strike on a bus near the front line in southern Ukraine has killed at least five people and injured seven others. There was no immediate comment from Russia on the attack.
What this adds
The drone attack on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is part of a broader pattern of Russian aggression against Ukraine, including missile and drone strikes on multiple Ukrainian regions.
The incident highlights the ongoing risks to nuclear facilities in conflict zones and the potential for further escalation.
Background
Two people were killed and eight injured in a drone attack on Saudi Arabia's King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.
Russian missiles and drones struck Kyiv overnight, killing at least nine people and injuring 33 others.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in southeastern Ukraine is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and among the 10 largest in the world. It has been under Russian control since 2022.
What's confirmed
- A drone attack on October 29 reportedly killed an employee of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on X. The incident occurred amid a broader wave of Russian missile and drone strikes against Ukraine.
- The IAEA has maintained a permanent monitoring presence at the ZNPP since September 2022 due to the risk of a nuclear accident. This latest attack follows an August incident where a drone explosion at a bus stop used by plant personnel killed one person and injured 15 others.
- On the same day as the reported death at the nuclear plant, Russian forces launched multiple missile and drone attacks against the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporizhzhia, injuring at least 14 people, including a child, according to Ukraine's National Police.
- The Russian bombardment of Zaporizhzhia late on Sunday hit apartment blocks, a university, and a shopping mall, wounding five people, President Zelenskiy said on Monday. Further south in Dnipropetrovsk region, a drone killed a car driver in Nikopol, a frequent Russian target on the west bank of the Dnipro River opposite the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
- The US has sensitive nuclear technology at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant inside Ukraine and is warning Russia not to touch it, according to a letter the US Department of Energy sent to Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy firm Rosatom last month. The plant has frequently been disconnected from Ukraine’s power grid due to intense Russian shelling, raising fears across Europe of a nuclear accident.
- The Energy Department’s Office of Nuclear Energy stated in June 2021 that the US helped implement new maintenance procedures and operations at the reactor to strengthen energy security in Ukraine. The letter, dated March 17, 2023, warns Rosatom that it is unlawful for any Russian citizens or entities to handle the US technology without authorization.
- While the plant is still physically operated by Ukrainian staff, Rosatom manages it. The US Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration confirmed the letter's legitimacy.
- Ukrainian officials say that a Russian drone strike on a bus near the front line in southern Ukraine has killed at least five people and injured seven others. There was no immediate comment from Russia on the attack.
What's still developing
- Beyond strikes on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Russia launched ballistic missiles, four guided aerial missiles, and 113 Shahed-type drones, including 83 jet-powered drones, against Ukraine overnight on Oct. 30, according to Ukraine's Air Force.
- "Moscow has mined the United Nations," Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi wrote on X on Oct. 29, criticizing the decision.
- "Everyone who wishes to leave Oleshky will be given the opportunity to leave safely. At the same time, those who have decided to stay can stay and will receive all the necessary humanitarian support," Ukraine's Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said.
- "In developing drones and counter-drone systems, Europe has one significant advantage: our partnership with Ukraine," said European Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis.
- Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump says Russia has "lost control" of its diesel industry and again reprised his call for an end to the Russian war with Ukraine.
- Meanwhile, at least 250 civilians were killed and 1,596 others injured in Ukrainian attacks inside Russia during the first six months of this year, according to the UN mission, quoting credible Russian open-source reporting – a 121 percent increase in civilian casualties in the country compared with the previous year.
- “Russians cynically struck a passenger bus. They targeted a minibus which carried people going about their daily business,” said Mykola Lukashuk, head of the Dnipropetrovsk region council.