Atomic explosion: Russia will demand an international investigation into the murder of the chief engineer of the nuclear power plant

Moscow should seek from relevant global structures to conduct a full-fledged investigation into the murder of Alexander Yakovlev, chief engineer of the Nuclear power plant, Grigory Karasin, head of the Federation Council's International Affairs Committee, told Izvestia. On the afternoon of July 15, Yakovlev was killed in a Ukrainian UAV strike, said Alexey Likhachev, head of Rosatom. Kiev has switched to terrorist methods: in the last two and a half months alone, 13 people have died in the area of the nuclear power plant and the Energy depot. Experts believe that Russia, in response, may intensify attacks on facilities of the military-industrial complex and energy infrastructure of Ukraine. At the same time, a harsh reaction from international organizations is unlikely.

Murder of the chief engineer of the NPP

On the afternoon of July 15, Alexander Yakovlev, chief engineer of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack, said Alexey Likhachev, head of Rosatom. According to him, the UAV of the Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked a company car on the border of the industrial site of the station and the city of Energodar. Dmitry Filippov, the driver, was killed along with the chief engineer.

Russia will insist on conducting a full-fledged international investigation into the murder, Grigory Karasin, chairman of the Federation Council's International Affairs Committee, told Izvestia.

— The IAEA and Rafael Grossi should have their say in this case. This is already overstepping all acceptable boundaries. We will see how the situation develops, but I am convinced that we will insist on conducting a full—fledged international investigation," he said.

Further attacks on the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant could lead to serious consequences, says Alexei Chepa, first deputy chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on International Affairs. He also considers it necessary to further develop personal protection measures for managers and employees of strategic enterprises. Izvestia asked the administration of the NPP about this issue.

This is far from the first attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the nuclear power plant, which came under Russian control in March 2022. As the CEO of Rosatom noted, over the past two and a half months, 13 people have been killed and 48 others injured by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the area of the station and Energodar. Due to constant shelling, the station was left without electricity 21 times, and diesel fuel for its operation remained for 11 days, Alexei Likhachev reported on July 10.

The murder of the chief engineer of the nuclear power plant is an act of terrorism aimed not only at destroying strategic infrastructure, but also at intimidating specialists who ensure its operation, Evgeny Semibratov, deputy director of the Institute for Strategic Studies and Forecasts of the RUDN University, told Izvestia. The entire management and engineering staff of nuclear power plants located relatively close to the border with Ukraine may be at increased risk.

Russia demands a clear and articulate condemnation of the murder of Alexander Yakovlev by international structures, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi must finally see through the crime of the Kiev regime, she stressed.

The head of the agency later called the incident an unacceptable attack and said that such incidents pose a serious threat to nuclear safety. It is worth noting that the IAEA deployed a group of observers at the NPP back in September 2022. However, the presence of representatives of the organization at the station itself does not allow them to name the culprit in the attacks. The Agency has organized local truces several times to repair power lines, but they have not led to a permanent cessation of attacks on nuclear power plants.

Evgeny Semibratov believes that there will most likely be no noticeable international reaction to the murder. According to him, the IAEA may limit itself to expressing condolences and concern, as it did after previous incidents around Russian nuclear facilities. In particular, the Kursk NPP has been repeatedly attacked by UAVs.

How will the new terrorist attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces affect the settlement

Although generation at the Zaporizhia NPP power units was stopped in September 2022, and since April 2024 all units have been in cold shutdown mode, the plant's potential is extremely important. According to Politico and the Associated Press, the issue of using the nuclear power plant was discussed at meetings of the Russian Federation, the United States and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi in January. The American media also wrote that Washington is interested in organizing mining at the NPP.

However, there is no official confirmation that the Russian Federation is discussing the issue of control over the station with the United States or Ukraine. Moscow emphasizes that Russia will not transfer the Zaporizhia NPP under the control of Ukraine or any other country. The Russian Foreign Ministry pointed out that the close cooperation of NATO intelligence services with Ukraine, which have impressive sabotage potential, makes it impossible even for the temporary admission of representatives of these countries to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

If it is confirmed that the decision to kill Yakovlev was made by the Ukrainian leadership, it will mean a fundamentally new level of escalation. In this case, we will be talking not only about attacks on the energy infrastructure, but also about eliminating the people who manage it, Andrei Kortunov, an expert at Valdai, told Izvestia.

In his opinion, Russia may appeal to the IAEA and the UN Security Council and demand an investigation and an international assessment of what happened. If there is convincing evidence of Kiev's involvement, a military-technical response is also possible, including increased attacks on facilities of the military-industrial complex and energy infrastructure of Ukraine.

The new Ukrainian strikes obviously do not contribute to the transition to peaceful negotiations. The last meeting of the delegations of the Russian Federation, the United States and Ukraine was held in Geneva in February, and since then the dialogue has been virtually suspended. Against this background, the example of the nuclear power plant is indicative: instead of de-escalating and ensuring the normal operation of the plant, Ukraine is intensifying attacks by using terrorist methods against its employees.