Energoatom: Russia kidnaps head of Europe's largest nuclear power plant

Russian forces kidnapped Ihor Murashov, the head of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, when he was on his way home on Sept. 30, according to state nuclear company Energoatom.

They stopped Murashov's car and pulled him out of it, Energoatom head Petro Kotin said in a statement on Oct. 1. "(They) blindfolded him and took him in an unknown direction," Kotin wrote. "There is no information about Murashov's whereabouts and his fate."

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the illegal detention of Murashov. "Russia should immediately release (him)," it stated on Oct. 1.

The ministry has urged the U.N., G7, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to help free Murashov. The IAEA has "contacted Russian authorities and is requesting clarifications," according to Reuters.

Russia is accused of using the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant – the largest nuclear power plant in Europe – as a shield and a tool of blackmail. Its forces have been shelling Ukrainian positions and residential areas from the plant's territory.