Two Russian hauliers of the Zaporizhzhia NPP (ZNPP), who disconnected the plant from Ukraine's energy system, were informed of the suspicion.
Suspicions for the hauliers of the ZNPP
The law enforcement officers collected evidence on two Russian Citizens who organized the disconnection of Zaporizhzhia NPP from Ukraine's unified energy system.
We are talking about the deputy director of the captured nuclear power plant, Eduard Atakishchev, and his subordinate, chief engineer Andrei Gorbunov.
According to the investigation, before the "assignment", the Russians worked at the Rostov NPP.
From there, Atakishchev and Gorbunov arrived in the temporarily occupied territory in the south of Ukraine and, in early October 2022, joined the management team of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
The attackers were involved in the "integration" of the energy facility into the structure of Rosatom and the connection of the plant's technological capacities to the energy system of the Russian Federation, the SSU reported.
Also, according to the investigation, those involved incited Ukrainian nuclear workers to cooperate with the Russian Federation and conclude "contracts" with the occupation administration of the NPP, and in case of refusal, they threatened persecution by the repressive authorities of the Russian Federation.
Both men were informed in absentia of suspicion under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
Chapter 2 of Art. 28, Chapter 1 of Art. 438 (violation of laws and customs of war);
Chapter 4 of Art. 27, Chapter 2 of Art. 28, Chapter 2 of Art. 111 (incitement to commit treason under martial law by prior conspiracy by a group of persons).
Occupation of Zaporizhzhia NPP
The largest nuclear power plant in Europe, together with the satellite city of Energodar, has been under Russian occupation since March 4, 2022.
According to media reports, Russian troops have set up a military base at the NPP, deploying heavy artillery, including BM-30 "Smerch" multiple rocket launchers.
From September 2022, the IAEA mission is placed at the station.
On April 13, for the first time since 2022, all six power units of the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant were put into a "cold shutdown" state.
In April, a UAV detonated on the territory of Zaporizhzhia NPP.
