Sept 13 (Reuters) – The head of Russia’s state nuclear power corporation accused Ukraine on Sunday of attacking diesel fuel trucks, killing “two Russian servicemen and deliberately endangering security at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine. Alexei Likhachev said the attack took place on Friday and also injured other Russian soldiers. The Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe’s largest with six reactors, was taken over by Russian forces in during the first weeks of the Ukraine war that broke out in February 2022. Each side has regularly accused the other of actions that endanger the safety of the plant and increase the risk of a nuclear accident. Likhachev issued a statement saying that Ukrainian forces had launched “a series of combined attacks” on Friday against fuel trucks delivering diesel to the station. “The attacks hit very close to the perimeter of the station site,” he said, killing a large number of people. Russian soldiers were injured, some seriously. All were involved in supporting this purely civilian mission. “Fuel is vitally important to the plant, as diesel generators provide power to keep the nuclear fuel cold in the reactors when the plant’s two external power links are out of service. Both were inactive for almost three weeks in August and September. Ukraine demanded that Russia abandon the station and return its operation to kyiv, a demand rejected by Moscow. The fuel currently does not generate electricity. The UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, has stationed a team of observers permanently at the station, along with Ukraine’s three other operating plants. The agency has repeatedly acted as an intermediary when disputes arise and last month helped organize a local ceasefire to carry out repairs and restore external electrical links. (Reporting by Felix Light; Editing by Susan Fenton)
