Ukraine has carried out a series of strikes on tankers delivering emergency diesel fuel to the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), killing two Russian servicemen and wounding multiple others, Rosatom CEO Aleksey Likhachev has said.

The attacks took place on Friday in the immediate vicinity of the plant’s perimeter and targeted fuel trucks transporting diesel needed for the facility’s emergency power systems, Likhachev stated Sunday.

Two Russian servicemen were killed and “a large number” were wounded, some seriously, according to the Rosatom chief. He said the troops had been involved in securing a “strictly civilian mission” to maintain fuel deliveries to the nuclear facility.

Likhachev accused Kiev of knowingly targeting the tankers despite being aware of their cargo and its importance to nuclear safety.

The incident follows warnings from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that the ZNPP’s diesel reserves had been critically depleted during nearly three weeks without external electricity. The plant lost its sole remaining power connection on August 20 and relied entirely on emergency generators until a temporary IAEA-brokered ceasefire allowed repairs to be completed and the line reconnected on September 7.

Even after external electricity was restored, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi stressed that replenishing diesel remained essential because the plant could again lose grid power due to unspecified “military activity” in the area. During the latest blackout, the facility reduced operating generators from four to two and ran cooling pumps intermittently. The generators supply critical safety systems, including pumps for all six reactors and spent fuel pools.

Likhachev accused Kiev of deliberately increasing the risk of a nuclear emergency at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant. “The Kiev regime has openly embarked on a path of provoking a nuclear incident at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, with unpredictable consequences,” he said, arguing any such event could affect areas far beyond the immediate vicinity of the facility.

The Rosatom chief called for the IAEA to “strongly condemn” the attack and explicitly identify those responsible, urging Kiev’s Western backers to distance themselves from what he described as the Ukrainian government’s “most horrific crimes.”

The IAEA has repeatedly documented military activity near the ZNPP and Energodar. In its latest update prior to Likhachev’s statement, the agency reported explosions, drones, and sustained gunfire in the area, noting the plant’s power situation remained “increasingly fragile.”