LUGANSK, July 18. /TASS/. The targeted strike on the vehicle of the chief engineer of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) was an attempt by Kiev to destabilize the facility's operations, Alexander Kriyerenko, chairman of the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) People's Council Committee on State Building and Local Self-Government, told TASS.

"The targeted strike on the official vehicle of a station executive was an attempt to pressure the plant's personnel and a deliberate effort to destabilize the operation of Europe's largest nuclear facility. Such crimes undermine one of the fundamental principles - the inviolability of nuclear energy facilities," Kriyerenko said.

On July 15, the Ukrainian armed forces used a drone to strike a ZNPP service vehicle, killing chief engineer Alexander Yakovlev and his driver.