Russia arrested the general manager 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 general manager, Igor Murashov, is responsible for nuclear and radiation safety, according to a statement from Energoatom, Ukraine’s national energy company. His detention poses a threat to the operation of the facility, the company added.
The plant was taken by Russian forces in March but is run by Ukrainian engineers. Fighting near the nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, has sparked international concern over an accident. The bombings have sometimes led to the plant being disconnected from the Ukrainian power grid, which Ukraine’s energy minister says puts critical cooling systems at risk of relying only on emergency backup power.
The car Mr Murashov was in was stopped on the road leading to the factory around 4 p.m., and he was blindfolded and taken to an unknown location, the statement said.
Energoatom called on Russia to fire Murashov and urged nuclear security officials, including Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, to work for his release.
Mr. Grossi said in a statement on Saturday that Mr. Murashov’s detention has created a dangerous situation at the plant, as he oversees operational procedures, including those related to safety and security.
“His absence from work in this way also has an immediate and serious impact on decision-making to ensure the safety and security of the plant,” Mr. Grossi said. He added that the manager’s sudden arrest also put a strain on the rest of the factory staff.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry in a statement called on Russia to release Murashov immediately and urged the UN nuclear agency to take “decisive action”.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Saturday it had “requested clarification from the Russian authorities” on the situation and had been informed that Mr Murashov was “temporarily detained to answer questions”. She added that she had no other information about his detention.
The agency, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, has had two inspectors at the plant since September. He said in a statement on Friday that there had been a series of landmine explosions near the plant in recent days, which jeopardized the safety and security of the facility.
The latest blast, the sixth reported in a week, damaged a low voltage cable outside the perimeter of the fence, the agency said. The explosion occurred near a nitrogen-oxygen plant and indirectly damaged a voltage transformer in one of the reactors, the statement said. Earlier in the week, the agency said the landmines appeared to have been set off by animals.
Ukrainian and Russian military forces have accused each other of using the specter of a nuclear catastrophe during the war by carrying out attacks around the plant. Mr. Grossi said in a statement that he was continuing his efforts to establish a security zone around the nuclear power plant.
The nuclear agency did not immediately comment on Mr. Murashov.
The plant is in the Zaporizhzhia region, which is part of the area of eastern and southern Ukraine that Russian President Vladimir V. Putin decided to illegally annex on Friday.
Ukrainian officials noted the fatigue and stress of Ukrainian employees in the control room, saying Russian soldiers subjected them to harsh interrogations, including torture with electric shocks, suspecting them of sabotage or informing the government. Ukrainian army factory activities.