The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it was told a worker died in an Oct. 29 drone attack at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia plant, where only one external power line remains available.
An agency post described the employee as reportedly a welder in the plant’s centralized repair workshop. It did not identify the worker or attacker or say where the attack occurred. The post also gave no account of equipment damage or operational changes.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi called attacks on plant staff “completely unacceptable.” The agency said he renewed his appeal for military restraint to lower the risk of a nuclear accident.
The reported killing follows the Oct. 21 death of a plant bus driver. The IAEA said its team at the facility was told a drone had reportedly hit the bus, and the agency said staffing there fell significantly the next day. EconoTimes previously covered the reported death of the bus driver.
Power updates show the plant’s limited supply options. The IAEA said Oct. 23 that repairs to a backup transformer strengthened the plant’s connection to Ferosplavna-1, its sole available external power line. Dniprovska, a separate line, remained unavailable. In an Oct. 16 update, the agency said no diesel deliveries had reached the site since March 2026 and warned that depleted diesel reserves raised the risk if external power failed again.
