WANA (Feb 28) – The Director General of Russia’s state nuclear corporation, Rosatom, stressed that operating nuclear power plants — whether Bushehr or the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant — are not shooting ranges or toys, and military forces must under no circumstances attack them.

 

Aleksey Likhachev said on Saturday, following the start of what he described as U.S. and Israeli military aggression against Iran, that turning nuclear power plants into targets for military strikes is unacceptable and amounts to suicide.

 

He added that Rosatom is continuously monitoring the situation and assessing potential risks concerning Russian personnel involved in the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant construction project. If necessary, additional measures will be taken in coordination with the Russian Foreign Ministry to ensure the safety of its staff, and the President of Russia has been informed of the matter.

 

The head of Rosatom stated that all children of the company’s employees in Iran, as well as surplus personnel and those wishing to leave the country — a total of 94 people — have now departed Iran.

 

Likhachev said that Rosatom employees are currently either at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant construction site or in their residential compound, and that all necessary security measures are being implemented.

 

He also noted that a small number of Rosatom employees working in Tehran have been relocated to the Russian Embassy building.

 

Likhachev had previously said that during the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran in June and July 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin had held contacts with countries hostile to Tehran to ensure that the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant would remain immune from military strikes.