The largest power plant in Europe, Zaporizhia, is where three employees of the Ukrainian nuclear company Energoatom were allegedly abducted by Russian forces on Friday. Energoatom has requested that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) “make all efforts possible” to free these individuals who are “captives in the hands of Russian terrorists.”

Through his Telegram account, Energoatom stated that “the Russian Army broke into the facilities of the Department of Social Programs where, in front of workers, they hit the head of the department’s head, Oleksi Trubenkov, and his “number two,” Yuri Androsov.” He added that “the racists have increased their repression against employees of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.”

“The intruders kidnapped them off the premises and transported them to an unidentified location after giving them a savage beating. Konstantin Beiner, the chief of staff and the person directly in charge of nuclear and radiation safety, was also detained and thrown into the basement by the bigots. He noted that Russia has not made a decision regarding these charges.

In order to inform (Russian President Vladimir) Putin about the support of Ukrainian personnel for Russia’s fascist and terrorist actions, Energoatom has emphasized that “the occupiers are trying to gain the loyalty of the brave pro-Ukrainian staff at the plant, increasing the number of employees transferred to the false Organization on Operations at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant”

Energoatom reported, pleading with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi and the international community to work toward the release of the detainees. “The invaders can’t do it because the staff resist, so they become policemen and jailers, intensifying their attacks against patriotic workers who still want to work for Ukraine,” Energoatom reported.

The partially occupied Zaporizhia region, along with Donetsk, Kherson, and Luhansk, was annexed in September. The Zaporizhia plant, which has six reactors commissioned between 1984 and 1995, has been under Russian control since March of this year, shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began and was launched on Putin’s order on February 24.