Russia jails 55-year-old ZNPP engineer
Ruslan Lavryk in a Russian court (Photo: Dmytro Orlov / Telegram)
Russian occupation “authorities” have sentenced 55-year-old Enerhodar resident Ruslan Lavryk, a radio engineer at Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), to 16 years in prison, Enerhodar Mayor Dmytro Orlov said on Oct. 15.
“Established by the occupation forces, the ‘Zaporizhzhya Regional Court’ has sentenced the man to 16 years in a maximum-security penal colony on fabricated charges,” Orlov said in a Telegram post.
Lavryk was “charged” with donating money to support the Ukrainian military and passing information on Russian troop movements to Ukrainian intelligence.
The mayor added that Lavryk, who survived captivity and torture, suffers from heart problems and needs hospital care.
In September, human rights group Truth Hounds reported that more than 226 Ukrainian civilians, including ZNPP employees, have been unlawfully detained and subjected to torture since Enerhodar was occupied in early 2022.
On Oct. 9, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Rafael Grossi announced the ZNPP is being reconnected to the Ukrainian power grid after two weeks of relying on emergency diesel generators to cool fissile material and spent fuel.
On Sept. 30, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the situation at ZNPP an emergency, noting it had been disconnected from the grid for seven days and reliant on diesel generators, which "weren’t designed for such prolonged use."
On Sept. 23, Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said the sole power line supplying ZNPP from the Ukrainian grid was cut, forcing reliance on diesel generators.
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