Ukraine’s nuclear power plant on Saturday accused Russian forces of kidnapping the director of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) and detaining him at an undisclosed location.
According to Energoatom, the plant’s executive director, Ihor Murashov, was blindfolded and detained after being stopped in his car by Russian forces around 4 pm on Friday.
His whereabouts remain unknown.
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The apparent kidnapping occurred just an hour after Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed ownership of the Zaporizhia region along with Donetsk, Luhansk and Kherson and, in his view, formally unified the region under the Russian Federation.
Kyiv and Western countries condemned the move and said they do not recognize Russia’s self-declared claims to Ukrainian territory.
Moscow has denied the kidnapping of ZNPP officials, but the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said factory staff were aware of the capture and had contacted Russian authorities.
IAEA staff have been stationed at the nuclear power plant since early September after moving to the plant to assess the level of threat and damage inflicted on the ZNPP following several missile attacks.
Officials have long said that fighting near the ZNPP, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, must be stopped immediately amid concerns that it could compromise the plant’s integrity and cause a radiation hazard. I have warned you.
Russia has occupied the plant since early March, but Ukrainian engineers continue to operate the power plant.
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The plant’s last two operating reactors were shut down in September as a precautionary measure amid ongoing shelling.
It is unclear what Russia’s next plans for the power plant will be, as Russia seeks to claim the Zaporizhia region.
Energoatom president Petro Kotin called for the immediate release of the director-general, stating that “his detention… endangers the safety of Ukraine and Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his troops will not stop fighting the Russian occupation until all of Ukraine is restored and Russian troops withdraw.
Ukraine began advancing in its northeastern regions as its troops advanced on Donetsk and Luhansk.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.