Russian forces blindfolded and arrested the head of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, Ukraine’s nuclear power supplier said Saturday, reigniting long-simmering fears about the plant’s safety.
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Friday’s alleged kidnapping would have occurred shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin escalated his war in Ukraine and pushed it into a dangerous new phase by annexing four Ukrainian regions that Moscow controls in whole or in part and increasing threats of force. nuclear.
In a possible attempt to secure Moscow’s takeover of the newly annexed territory, Russian forces kidnapped the director general of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Ihor Murashov, around 4pm on Friday, Ukrainian state nuclear company Energoatom said.
This photo of the flyer taken from a video and published by the press service of the Russian Defense Ministry on August 7, 2022, shows a general view of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the territory under Russian military control in southeastern Ukraine.
(Press service of the Russian Ministry of Defense via AP, file)
Putin on Friday signed treaties to absorb the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, including the area around the nuclear power plant.
Energoatom said Russian troops stopped Murashov’s car, blindfolded him and then took him to an unknown location.
“His detention by (Russia) jeopardizes the safety of Ukraine and Europe’s largest nuclear power plant,” said Energoatom chairman Petro Kotin, demanding the director’s immediate release.
Russia did not immediately recognize the kidnapping of the plant manager.
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The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Saturday that Russia said “the director general of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been temporarily detained to answer questions”.
Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi speaks at the 66th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria on Monday, September 26, 2022.
(AP Photo / Theresa Wey)
The Vienna-based IAEA said that, “in line with its nuclear safety mandate”, “it has actively sought clarification and hopes for a speedy and satisfactory resolution of the matter”.
The plant was repeatedly involved in the crossfire of the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian technicians continued to manage the plant after Russian troops seized it. Its last reactor was shut down in September as a precautionary measure due to the continuous bombardment of the nearby power lines damaged by the plant.
The plant is a strategic trophy for Russia and has raised concern around the world as the only nuclear power plant involved in modern warfare. Active fighting nearby means it is unlikely to start producing electricity again anytime soon, even if Russia installs its own management.
It is like a city in its own right, with around 11,000 workers before the war. While many fled amidst the fighting, others remained to ensure the safety of its radioactive material and facilities.
Russian ship Mikhail Dudin docks at the port of Dunkirk in northern France on Tuesday, September 13, 2022. As Europe is cracking down on Russian oil and gas, it continues to import and export nuclear fuel to and from the country as the industry it is not subject to sanctions caused by the war in Ukraine.
(Photo AP / Michel Spingler, File)
Energoatom spokespersons told The Associated Press on Saturday that employees at the Zaporizhzhia power plant are forced to submit applications to report to Rosatom, the Russian state-owned nuclear power giant that operates Russian nuclear power plants.
Murashov was opposed to the handover of the Zaporizhzhia plant to Rosatom, but Energoatom spokespersons could not confirm that this was the reason for his kidnapping.
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According to Energoatom spokespersons, Murashov had access to security codes, coordinated all work at the plant, made sure protocols were followed and reported in Kiev. Ukrainian authorities tasked him with running the plant several days before Russian troops arrived in Ukraine.
However, Energoatom claimed that it has not lost links with the plant and all important parameters of its work are still reported in Kiev.
