Russia detained the director general of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant on Friday, and his location was not known, the company that operates the plant said in a statement.
The site’s director general, Igor Murashov, is responsible for nuclear and radiation safety, according to the statement from Energoatom, the Ukrainian national energy company. His detention poses a threat to the facility’s operation, the company added.
The plant was taken by Russian forces in March but is run by Ukrainian engineers. Fighting near the nuclear plant has raised international concern about an accident. Shelling has at times caused the plant to be disconnected from Ukraine’s power grid.
The car that Murashov was in was stopped on the road leading to the plant around 4pm (local time), and he was blindfolded and taken to an unknown location. Energoatom called on Russia to return Murashov.