In brief
A Ukrainian drone struck a vehicle near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, killing two people, one of whom was a female plant employee. The incident marks the third fatality in two weeks and the 13th since April, prompting the plant’s management to accuse the drone attack of "targeted terrorism". Russian forces and the IAEA weighed in, with the latter noting a prior plant employee death, while Russia’s Rosatom previously reported a chief engineer killed by a drone.
A Ukrainian drone struck a car near Russia‑held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Tuesday, killing two people, including a female employee of the station, the plant’s management said. The attack occurred in a vehicle parked close to the facility, though the statement did not reveal the exact location.
The incident is the third death linked to the plant in two weeks and the 13th since April, a period that has seen frequent accusations of military actions compromising the site’s safety. The plant’s statement condemned the strikes as “targeted terrorism” and called for people not to become targets.
"Attacks on civilian cars, killing of peaceful people – this is targeted terrorism. People must not become targets," the statement said, as reported by Reuters.
The UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, confirmed last week that an employee at the plant had been killed, but did not provide further details. The IAEA has repeatedly urged restraint around the facility, which remains offline.
Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom had earlier, in July, reported that the plant’s chief engineer had been killed by a Ukrainian drone near the station. Russia’s forces captured the plant during the early stages of Moscow’s invasion, while Ukraine has not commented on the recent drone strike.
