At the end of September, Energoatom accused Moscow of having arrested and detained the director of the plant, Igor Murachov, for several days before releasing him.
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The Ukrainian operator Energoatom on Tuesday (October 18th) accused Russia of having “kidnapped” two executives of the Zaporijjia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, which it has occupied since March in southern Ukraine. According to Energoatom, IT department chief Oleg Kostyukov and deputy plant director Oleg Ocheka were taken away by Russian forces on Monday “to an unknown destination”.
The Ukrainian operator called on social networks the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, to “make every effort” possible to secure their release. The Zaporijjia power station is regularly the victim of bombardments and power cuts, raising fears for the safety of this installation.
Staff are also under pressure: kyiv has repeatedly accused Russian forces of mistreating employees or keeping them in detention. Last week, Energoatom was particularly worried about the fate of the deputy director of human resources Valery Martyniouk. In a press release published on Tuesday evening, the IAEA, which has experts on site, reported “his liberation”.
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Rafael Grossi has “greeted” this news, while deploring the detention of two new employees. “This is another worrying development which I hope will be resolved quickly.”he said, adding to continue consultations to create a protection zone around the site.