LUGANSK, July 17. /TASS/. Europe’s security could be jeopardized following the assassination of Alexander Yakovlev, chief engineer of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, and his driver, Alexander Kriyerenko, Chairman of the Committee on State Construction and Local Self-Government of the LPR People's Council, has told TASS.

"The death of the chief engineer of the Zaporozhye NPP is a tragedy - an act of violence carried out by the Kiev regime with Western backing. I extend my condolences to the family and friends of the deceased. By targeting those responsible for the safety of the nuclear facility, Kiev is endangering the security of all of Europe," Kriyerenko stated.

On July 15, Ukrainian forces attacked a Zaporozhye NPP corporate vehicle with a drone, resulting in the deaths of Yakovlev and his driver. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi condemned the murder, describing the attack on the plant and its personnel as unacceptable.