⚡️ Statement by Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev (July 15, 2026)
This afternoon, the Chief Engineer of the Zaporozhskaya Nuclear Power Plant Alexander Yakovlev was killed in a deliberate terrorist attack carried out by the Kiev regime.
A Ukrainian drone struck a Zaporozhskaya NPP service vehicle near the boundary between the plant’s industrial site and Energodar. The attack also killed the driver, Dmitry Filippov.
◾️ Alexander Yakovlev devoted his entire life to the nuclear power industry and perished, in effect, at his post.
The Rosatom team mourns this irreparable loss. We extend our deepest condolences to the families, loved ones and friends of those killed.
This tragedy was made possible not merely by the connivance of Western states, but by their direct encouragement of the criminal Kiev regime to escalate its terrorist attacks.
The price of this policy is measured in human lives – over the past two and a half months, 13 people have been killed and 48 injured – as well as in the real threat of a large-scale nuclear incident affecting vast areas of Russia, Ukraine and Europe.
The international community must understand this. We expect the IAEA to respond swiftly, clearly and unequivocally to this tragedy.
The country’s political leadership has been informed.
This afternoon, the Chief Engineer of the Zaporozhskaya Nuclear Power Plant Alexander Yakovlev was killed in a deliberate terrorist attack carried out by the Kiev regime.
A Ukrainian drone struck a Zaporozhskaya NPP service vehicle near the boundary between the plant’s industrial site and Energodar. The attack also killed the driver, Dmitry Filippov.
◾️ Alexander Yakovlev devoted his entire life to the nuclear power industry and perished, in effect, at his post.
The Rosatom team mourns this irreparable loss. We extend our deepest condolences to the families, loved ones and friends of those killed.
This tragedy was made possible not merely by the connivance of Western states, but by their direct encouragement of the criminal Kiev regime to escalate its terrorist attacks.
The price of this policy is measured in human lives – over the past two and a half months, 13 people have been killed and 48 injured – as well as in the real threat of a large-scale nuclear incident affecting vast areas of Russia, Ukraine and Europe.
The international community must understand this. We expect the IAEA to respond swiftly, clearly and unequivocally to this tragedy.
The country’s political leadership has been informed.