Russia's Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case into the death of Alexander Yakovlev, chief engineer of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), after his vehicle was allegedly struck by a Ukrainian drone on Wednesday in the city of Enerhodar. The attack also killed his driver and left a third occupant — a plant employee — injured, according to the committee's official representative, Svetlana Petrenko.

What Happened in Enerhodar

Petrenko confirmed the investigation's findings on Thursday, 16 July, stating that the vehicle carrying Yakovlev was hit by a drone attributed to Ukrainian forces. The incident claimed two lives and wounded at least one other person. Russian authorities have framed the attack as a deliberate strike on nuclear plant personnel.

Yevgeny Balitsky, governor of the Russia-controlled portion of the Zaporizhzhia region, alleged on Wednesday that Ukraine has been systematically targeting energy infrastructure, civilian vehicles, shops, and social facilities in an effort to halt the plant's operations. Ukraine has not publicly claimed responsibility for the strike.

Europe's Largest Nuclear Plant Under Strain

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, one of Europe's largest nuclear facilities, has been under Russian control since March 2022, when Russian forces seized it in the early weeks of the full-scale invasion. The plant has since become a focal point of nuclear safety concerns, with repeated incidents threatening its stable operation.

Earlier this month, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was notified that the ZNPP had lost its off-site power supply for the 21st time since the start of the Ukraine conflict. The outage followed the plant's disconnection from the 330 kV Ferosplavna-1 transmission line after military activity triggered electrical protection systems on the linking lines.

Emergency Generators Activated

Following the latest power loss, the plant's emergency diesel generators automatically activated to sustain electricity for reactor cooling systems and other critical nuclear safety functions, the IAEA confirmed. The agency's team stationed at the site verified that military activity had caused the disruption.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi issued a stark warning: "The latest loss of off-site power again highlights the extreme fragility of nuclear safety at the plant and the need for maximum military restraint to help prevent a nuclear accident."

Growing Nuclear Safety Alarm

The killing of the plant's chief engineer adds a new and serious dimension to the already precarious situation at Zaporizhzhia. The ZNPP's repeated loss of external power — now recorded 21 times — has drawn sustained international concern. Each outage forces reliance on backup diesel generators, which carry their own operational risks if fuel supplies are disrupted or generators fail.

With the war showing no signs of abating near the plant's perimeter, the IAEA and nuclear safety experts have repeatedly called for a protection zone around the facility. The latest incident is likely to intensify those calls and reignite debate at the United Nations Security Council over the plant's status.