A senior security officer at Europe's largest nuclear power plant, Zaporizhzhia, was killed in a car bomb explosion on the morning of October 4, RT reported, citing the Russian Investigative Committee.
Ukraine's military intelligence agency praised the incident on Telegram, while not publicly claiming responsibility for the bombing.
According to Russian investigators, a homemade bomb was placed under the car of Andrey Korotky - a senior security official at the plant - and exploded. Korotky died from his injuries.
The Ukrainian military intelligence service (HUR) immediately commented on the incident on Telegram, calling Korotky a "war criminal" and a "collaborator" for his "voluntary" decision to cooperate with Russia. The agency also accused Korotky of organizing "pro-Russian military events" and joining the United Russia party.
HUR also released a video showing the moment of the explosion and vowed to "take revenge" on anyone they consider a "war criminal".
The Zaporizhzhia plant confirmed the death of its employee and informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about the incident, the plant's communications director, Evgenia Yashina, told TASS.
Plant director Yury Chernichuk condemned the bombing as a "horrific, inhuman act of terrorism" and demanded that those behind it be brought to justice.
"Attacking personnel responsible for the security of a nuclear facility is a reckless step that crosses all limits," Chernichuk said. The UN nuclear watchdog has yet to comment on the incident.
The Russian Investigative Committee said it had opened a criminal case on charges of murder but did not name any suspects.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine has been under Russian control since March 2022. Throughout the conflict, Moscow and Kiev have repeatedly accused each other of shelling the facility, and the Russian Ministry of National Defense said several attempts by Ukrainian assault units to retake the plant had been repelled.
The Zaporizhzhia region was formally annexed by Russia, along with three other former Ukrainian territories, in the fall of 2022. The IAEA has a permanent monitoring mission at the nuclear facility.
In late August, senior Russian diplomat Rodion Miroshnik said that employees at the plant had been subjected to blackmail. Those working at the facility were reportedly forced to cooperate with Kiev and transmit sensitive data or even commit acts of terrorism.
