Energoatom commented on the death of the so-called chief engineer of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

NAEK “Energoatom” emphasized that the Ukrainian company remains the sole legitimate operator of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and that Denis Viktorovich Martinenko is the sole lawful chief engineer of the plant. The individual whose death was announced by representatives of the occupying administration never held any legitimate status. 

All personnel appointments made by Russia following the forcible seizure of the Zaporizhzhia NPP in March 2022 are representatives of the occupying regime and have no legal force under Ukrainian or international law.

Prior to the occupation, 11,000 licensed Ukrainian specialists worked at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant; they were subsequently systematically displaced. Instead, Rosatom has staffed the facility with employees lacking the necessary education, work experience, and professional competencies. Energoatom noted that such a personnel policy is unacceptable for the nuclear industry and poses an additional threat. The very presence of Russian military personnel and the Kremlin’s pseudo-administration at the facility is the root cause of all radiation risks.

Source: NAEK “Energoatom”

In occupied Energodar, the so-called chief engineer of the seized Zaporizhzhia NPP, Oleksandr Yakovlev, was killed when a drone struck an official vehicle. The driver of the vehicle was also killed at the scene. This was stated by Alexei Likhachev, head of the Russian state corporation “Rosatom.”

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Kyiv had no connection to the death of the chief engineer of the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The ministry called Russia’s statements unsubstantiated and urged the public not to treat information from the occupying authorities as reliable.