Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant official killed in car bomb

KIEV

A Ukrainian car bomb attack killed an official of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Oct. 4, officials from both countries said.

Kiev has attacked several high-profile people branded "collaborators" and "traitors" for working with Russian forces since Moscow invaded in February 2022.

Ukraine's GUR military intelligence directorate said a car bomb blast on Oct. 4 morning had killed Andriy Korotky, whom it identified as the "head of physical security" at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

It called him a "war criminal" who "voluntarily cooperated with the Russian invaders," had provided details on "pro-Ukrainian" plant employees and "participated in the repression" of the plant's staff.

The GUR posted a low-quality video showing a white SUV driving slowly before exploding, obliterating the car and spreading debris and smoke all around.

Russia's Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said an improvised explosive device was placed under his car at home, which then detonated when he started driving.

"The victim died of his injuries in hospital," it said, adding that a criminal case had been opened.

Russian-backed authorities at the facility said Korotky had been killed in a "terrorist attack committed by the Kiev regime."

Russian forces seized the plant, Europe's largest nuclear facility, in the first weeks of their 2022 invasion.

Both sides have accused each other of risking a potentially devastating nuclear disaster at the site.

The attack was the latest killing of a pro-Russian figure in a car bombing during the war.

In 2022, pro-war nationalist Darya Dugina was killed in a 2022 attack outside Moscow. Several Russian-installed local officials in eastern Ukraine have also been targeted.