The chief engineer at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant was killed in what Russian authorities said was a Ukrainian strike near the facility, the head of Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom announced today.

According to Alexei Likhachev, a Ukrainian drone struck an official vehicle travelling between the nuclear power plant and the city of Enerhodar, killing chief engineer Aleksandr Yakovlev and the driver.

On Friday, the Kremlin accused Kyiv of escalating what it described as “terrorist” attacks against the nuclear power plant, which Russian forces seized in March 2022, just days after launching their full-scale invasion of Ukraine.