Drone strike kills engineer at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

A senior engineer at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant was killed in a drone strike near the facility, an incident Russia has attributed to Ukraine and which has prompted renewed international warnings over nuclear safety. The attack occurred on July 15, 2026, as the engineer was traveling in a service vehicle between the plant and the nearby town of Enerhodar.

Russian authorities stated that Alexander Yakovlev, the plant's chief engineer, and his driver were killed when the vehicle was struck. A third passenger, also a plant employee, was reported injured. Russia's Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case into the deaths. Russian officials, including Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova and Rosatom chief Alexei Likhachev, described the strike as a deliberate terrorist act by Ukraine and demanded an explicit condemnation from international bodies, specifically the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The IAEA confirmed it had been informed of the incident by Russia. Director General Rafael Grossi condemned the killing, calling it "an unacceptable attack on the plant and its management, seriously threatening nuclear safety." He reiterated calls for an...