Russia says Ukraine 'sharply' stepped up attacks on Zaporizhzhia plant

Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev said Monday that Ukraine has "sharply" increased the number and "aggressiveness" of its attacks on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and the city of Enerhodar this month, describing the strikes as increasingly sophisticated and frequent. "We've noted a particular sophistication in the attacks in recent days — on the (power plant) transport workshop, on the city's energy infrastructure," Likhachev told RIA Novosti. "We're talking about dozens of attacks daily, every night."

Workforce targeted

According to the Rosatom chief, the strikes are intended to "destabilize the city and lead to the deterioration of the workforce, but this goal has not been achieved and will not be achieved." He said plant employees continue to take all necessary measures to ensure the facility's safe operation despite the security challenges, adding that the plant has faced several power supply disruptions in recent weeks.

Recent casualties

Rosatom said Thursday that a worker at the plant was killed and another seriously injured in a drone strike on Enerhodar, which it blamed on Ukraine. Ukraine has not immediately commented on the allegations, and independent verification of claims remains difficult due to the ongoing conflict. Zaporizhzhia, Europe's largest nuclear facility, has been under Russian control since the early months of the war in 2022. The International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly called for measures to reduce risks around the plant as Moscow and Kyiv accuse each other of endangering the site.