The Ukrainian nuclear agency confirms that Ihor Murashov, head of the plant’s radiological security, was intercepted on his way to the facilities and that he has “unknown whereabouts”.
Russian security forces have arrested the general manager of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, Ihor Murashov, for reasons that have not been clarified, as reported this morning by Petro Kotin, president of Energoatom, Ukraine’s state-owned company that controls the country’s nuclear power plants. The arrest took place around 4 p.m. Friday and Murashov has been missing ever since. His arrest came just an hour after President Vladimir Putin signed the annexation of Zaporizhzhya and the Donetsk, Lugansk and Kherson regions to Russia.
The person in charge of the facilities, occupied for months by the Russian army and who is trying to restore Kiev at all costs, was intercepted by a patrol as he was on his way to the city of Energodar, the headquarters of the factory. “They stopped his car, held him forcibly, blindfolded him and took him in an unknown direction,” Kotin told Reuters. The agency has tried to find out where he is being held, but so far all their efforts have been in vain. Energoatom emphasizes that Murashov is the head of nuclear and radiological safety at the plant. “His arrest threatens the operation of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant,” Kotin warned.
The director has demanded the Russian authorities in Zaporizhzhya that the director be released and allow him to return to his post “as soon as possible”. The Ukrainian government considers this arrest an “act of nuclear terrorism”. The president of Energoatom has also approached Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and Tom Mitchell, president of the World Association of Nuclear Operators, to intervene in the matter. The IAEA has a technical team at the plant to oversee safety, following the organization’s visit more than a month ago to learn more about the condition of the facilities.
Since its takeover by the Russian military, fighting in the area has been frequent and some have affected the plant’s operation, albeit without harming its critical systems. Both Russia and Ukraine blame each other for these attacks, which consist essentially of artillery bombardments, which led the IAEA and the United Nations weeks ago to demand that their respective governments cease their stance in light of the obvious risk of a nuclear accident. . “very serious consequences”.
Exactly, the IAEA reported on Friday the explosion of a landmine that damaged one of the power lines at the plant. Sources close to the case have indicated that the blast happened near an unaffected nitrogen and oxygen storage facility. In that case, the disaster could have been significant. Grossi has even expressed his “deep concern” about the recurrence of these types of explosions. The organization has more than once, without success, requested that the land around the factory be cleared, the ground of which is littered with such devices as a result of the fighting between Russians and Ukrainians.
Source: La Verdad
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
