Russia appoints new director for occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP

The Russian nuclear power company Rosenergoatom announced that a new director has been appointed for the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which has been under the Russian military’s control since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine.

“The new director of the Zaporizhzhia NPP and the first deputy general director of the Zaporizhzhia Power Plant operating company is Yury Alexeyevich Chernichuk, who served as chief engineer [at his] previous employer,” Renat Karchaa, an adviser to Rosenergoatom's CEO, said in an interview on Russian state TV Wednesday.

In early October, the Zaporizhzhia NPP’s previous director, Ihor Murashov, was reported to have been abducted by Russian troops. He was charged with collaborating with Ukraine and “discrediting the Russian authorities.” On October 3, Murashov was released on Ukrainian-controlled territory.