Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking fuel trucks near Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

The head of Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation, Alexei Likhachev, said that Ukrainian forces attacked diesel‑fuel trucks on 11 September, killing two Russian servicemen and injuring a number of others. He said the strike was part of a “series of combined strikes” aimed at the trucks that deliver diesel to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

Likhachev stated that the attacks hit “very close to the perimeter of the station’s site” and that the casualties were Russian soldiers who were supporting a civilian mission. He added that a large number of Russian soldiers were injured, some seriously, in the incident.

Diesel fuel is critical for the plant because its generators provide power to keep the nuclear fuel in the reactors cool when the plant’s external power links are unavailable. Both external power connections were down for nearly three weeks in August and September, increasing reliance on diesel‑powered backup systems.

Zaporizhzhia, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant with six reactors, was seized by Russian forces in the early weeks of the war that began in February 2022. Since then, both Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly accused each other of actions that could jeopardise the plant’s safety and raise the risk of a nuclear accident.

Ukraine has repeatedly called on Russia to abandon the facility and return its operation to Kyiv, a demand that Russia has rejected. The latest allegation adds to the ongoing dispute over the plant’s security and management.