Russia Pulls Out 198 Rosatom Staff from Iran's Bushehr
Alexey Likhachev made the announcement on the sidelines of the Atomskills Championship in Yekaterinburg, revealing that the operation is already underway and nearing a critical milestone.
"Our main evacuation wave of 198 people is successfully moving toward the Armenian-Iranian border," he said. "I very much hope that by tonight they will already be on the territory of the Republic of Armenia."
Despite the unfolding evacuation, Likhachev noted that a number of Rosatom employees have voluntarily chosen to remain at the facility to maintain oversight of plant conditions. He also issued an urgent appeal to all parties engaged in the Middle East conflict, as well as international organizations, urging them to take concrete steps to prevent any hostile action near the active nuclear reactor.
"The reactor continues to operate at power — the Iranians need it very much; it is vitally necessary today for the energy supply of the plant," he said.
Russia's ties to Bushehr stretch back several decades. After a German contractor abandoned the original construction project following Iran's 1979 revolution, Moscow stepped in during 1995 to complete the facility's first power unit, which became operational in 2011. A subsequent agreement signed in 2014 expanded Russia's role, commissioning the construction of two additional reactors at the site.
The current evacuation was set in motion last month as regional tensions escalated sharply following a joint US-Israeli offensive against Iran launched on Feb. 28 — an operation that has claimed more than 1,340 lives to date, among them former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Tehran has since responded with waves of drone and missile strikes against Israel and several neighboring states, including Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf nations hosting US military installations. Iran has also moved to restrict maritime traffic through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
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