An employee at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine was killed in a drone strike on Monday, as reported by the UN’s nuclear watchdog.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed the fatality in a post on X, stating, “The IAEA has been informed that one employee was killed in a drone attack today, in the latest incident affecting plant personnel and further endangering nuclear safety and security during the military conflict.”
In a separate incident on the same day, an employee at the nearby Zaporizhzhia thermal power plant was also killed by a drone, the agency added.
Recent Attacks on Plant Personnel
This is the second fatal drone attack on the nuclear plant’s staff in under two weeks. The IAEA last reported an employee was killed in a drone attack at the plant on October 29. The victim in that incident was reportedly a welder at a centralized repair workshop.
The IAEA has been informed that one employee of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) was killed in a drone attack today, in the latest incident affecting plant personnel and further endangering nuclear safety and security during the military conflict. Separately today, an… pic.twitter.com/gfNpb019el
The IAEA did not specify whether Monday’s attack was carried out by Russian or Ukrainian forces. The agency has condemned the strikes as violations of fundamental nuclear safety principles.
IAEA Condemns Nuclear Attacks
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi “strongly condemns the deadly strikes and says they represent unacceptable attacks violating indispensable nuclear safety pillars,” the agency said. Grossi emphasized that “all such attacks on nuclear plant workers must stop immediately” and that “all nuclear plant personnel must be able to carry out their important work without undue stress or fear.”
Located in Enerhodar, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is Europe’s largest nuclear facility. It has been under Russian occupation since March 2022, shortly after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. While Russian forces control the plant and much of the surrounding oblast, the regional capital of Zaporizhzhia remains under Ukrainian administration.
IAEA teams have maintained a permanent presence at the plant since September 2022 to monitor safety. The facility’s six reactors have been shut down since 2022, but the plant remains a critical site of concern due to its proximity to the front line and repeated incidents threatening its operational integrity.
Infrastructure Instability
The safety of the plant has been further compromised by recent disruptions to its power supply. On November 8, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant experienced a loss of connection to its sole 330-kilovolt external power line for approximately 10 hours, compelling it to depend on emergency diesel generators for cooling and safety functions until power was restored.
Earlier incidents have also threatened the nuclear facility’s external electricity supply. On October 3, the IAEA reported a series of drone attacks that damaged transformers at the Zaporizhzhia Thermal Power Plant, a conventional fossil-fuel station adjacent to the nuclear site.
Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence has alleged that Russia has militarized the plant, converting it into a military base by storing military equipment inside reactor turbine halls, operating drone units from the site, and using its basements and rooftops for ammunition and missile systems.
The intelligence reports also noted that IAEA inspectors have been denied full access to key technical areas while the facility faces operational risks, including a critical water deficit in its cooling pond and ongoing staff shortages.
