Driver at Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant killed in drone attacks, managers say

Management at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear ​plant in southeastern Ukraine ​said a driver at the ‌station had ​been killed on Wednesday after two days of Ukrainian drone attacks. Russian forces seized the station, ‌Europe's largest with six reactors, in the first weeks of the February 2022 invasion. Each side has since repeatedly accused the other of military ‌activity liable to jeopardise nuclear safety.

The plant's managers in a post on ‌Telegram said buses carrying staff to and from the plant had come under attack for two days in a row. "The second straight day of attacks on the ⁠station's transport ​shows that these ⁠strikes are deliberate," the statement said.

It said the attacks "pose a direct threat" to staff ⁠who ensured operations at the plant. Russia has in recent months accused Ukraine of ​attacking sites and services associated with the plant, including transport.

Rosatom, Russia's state ⁠nuclear corporation, said a Ukrainian drone attack on a service car in July killed ⁠the plant's ​chief engineer and the vehicle's driver. The city of Enerhodar, where most of the nuclear station's staff live, has also been a ⁠frequent target.

Rosatom last week said a truce agreement, mediated by the UN's ⁠nuclear watchdog, ⁠the International Atomic Energy Agency, was in place to allow repairs at a thermal power station supplying power to ‌the ‌nuclear plant.