A deputy head of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia facility has reportedly been kidnapped by the Russian military. It is presently being kept in an undisclosed location, according to a statement from Ukraine’s state nuclear energy company Energoatom on Tuesday.
Energoatom requested to use “all necessary efforts” to assist in Martynyuk’s release
Energoatom announced the official, Valeriy Martynyuk, had been arrested on Monday in a post on the messaging app Telegram. An inquiry for comment was not immediately answered by the Russian defense ministry.
Energoatom requested that Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, use “all necessary efforts” to assist in Martynyuk’s release.
The event happened after the plant’s former director, Ihor Murashov, was taken into custody on October 1. On October 3, Grossi announced Murashov’s release, and the IAEA declared that he would not assume control of the Zaporizhzhia plant again.
The Zaporizhzhia facility was captured by Russia in the early days of the invasion of Ukraine
The Zaporizhzhia facility, the biggest nuclear reactor in Europe, was taken by Russia in the early stages of the invasion of Ukraine, but Ukrainian employees continue to run it today.
According to plans made public last week, the Zaporizhzhia plant’s management would be taken over by Russian specialists, but Petro Kotin, the head of Energoatom, opposed the idea. Kotin appointed himself the plant’s director and said decisions on its operation would be taken in Kyiv.