Europe's largest nuclear power plant attacked, one person killed

The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed on Thursday that a worker at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine was killed in a drone strike. The agency identified the victim as a welder employed at the facility’s central repair workshop. This incident marks another deadly attack on personnel at Europe’s largest nuclear site, which has remained under Russian control since March 2022. In a separate incident late Thursday, Russian ballistic missiles struck Kyiv, killing one person and damaging buildings near the Dnieper River. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi condemned the strike on the nuclear worker, describing such attacks on plant staff as completely unacceptable. He stated that the incident violates the seven indispensable pillars for nuclear safety and security during armed conflicts. Grossi urged all parties involved to exercise maximum military restraint to prevent the risk of a nuclear accident. The agency did not specify who carried out the drone attack or provide further details regarding the exact circumstances of the death. The Zaporizhzhia plant sits adjacent to active combat zones, a location that has raised persistent concerns over nuclear safety for years. Although all six reactors at the facility are shut down and not generating electricity, the plant requires a stable external power supply to cool the reactor cores, manage spent fuel, and maintain critical safety systems. External power connections have been severed multiple times during the war, forcing operators to rely on backup diesel generators. An IAEA team maintains a permanent presence at the site to monitor nuclear safety conditions. This latest fatality follows a pattern of violence targeting the workforce essential to the plant’s operation. Last Wednesday, a driver at the power plant was killed following two consecutive days of Ukrainian drone attacks on transport infrastructure. Plant managers noted via Telegram that buses carrying staff were hit for two days in a row, calling the strikes deliberate and a direct threat to the personnel required to keep the facility running. Earlier this year, in July, the plant’s chief engineer and his driver were killed in an incident described by Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear corporation, as a Ukrainian drone attack. Additionally, in August, a drone exploded at a bus stop used by employees, resulting in one death and several injuries according to previous IAEA reports. The city of Enerhodar, home to much of the plant’s staff, has also faced repeated strikes. Both Moscow and Kyiv have frequently accused each other of attacking the plant and endangering regional stability. The ongoing conflict around the facility complicates efforts to ensure safe operations, as the integrity of the plant depends on protecting workers, securing reliable energy supplies, and maintaining functional safety systems without interruption. Meanwhile, the capital Kyiv came under fire late Thursday from Russian ballistic missiles. Local officials reported that one person died in the attack, which occurred just before 11:00 p.m. local time. Military administration data indicated that residential buildings were damaged in the impact. Mayor Vitaly Klitschko reported that fires broke out at warehouses on the eastern bank of the Dnieper River following the strikes. Debris from the explosions also damaged a building in a nearby district, sparking a secondary fire that was subsequently brought under control. The simultaneous violence at the nuclear site and in the capital underscores the continued intensity of hostilities across the country.