A manager of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, occupied by Russian forces in southern Ukraine, was killed in a car bomb attack, the two countries announced on Friday.
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Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Ukrainian secret services have been behind several assassinations or assassination attempts in the occupied territories or in Russia itself, targeting those responsible for the occupation, military personnel or personalities supporting the invasion of Ukraine.
According to Ukrainian military intelligence (GUR), the explosion of a car bomb killed Friday morning Andriï Korotky, identified as the “security manager” of the Zaporizhia power plant, the largest in Europe.
The GUR accused him of having “voluntarily cooperated with the Russian invaders” and of having denounced “pro-Ukrainian” employees of the plant, thus participating in the “repression” of the personnel by the occupier.
GUR posted a low-quality video showing a white SUV driving slowly before exploding, spreading debris around.
The authorities of the Zaporizhzhia plant, affiliated with Russia, confirmed that Mr. Korotky had been killed in a “terrorist attack committed by the Kyiv regime”.
The director of the plant, Yuri Tchernitchouk, denounced an “irresponsible” attack.
He said that Mr. Korotky was also the former president of the local council of Energodar, a Ukrainian town controlled by Russia where the nuclear power plant is located.
Russian forces have occupied the Zaporizhia power plant since March 2022, which has been the target of numerous bombings of which both camps accuse each other.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said in early September that he was worried about the security of the site, after the fire in a cooling tower that Moscow blamed on an attack by Ukrainian drones.
