Russia Evacuates Nearly All Personnel from Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Plant

13/04/2026

Russia Evacuates Nearly All Personnel from Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Plant

An Iranian flag flutters in front of the reactor building of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, just outside the southern city of Bushehr, Iran, Aug. 21, 2010. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

MOSCOW, Apr 13: Russia has begun the near-complete evacuation of its personnel from the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in Iran, according to the head of the country’s state nuclear corporation.

Rosatom chief Alexei Likhachev said 108 workers are being withdrawn from the Russia-built facility, leaving only around 20 staff members to monitor equipment and maintain essential oversight. He added that the evacuation was coordinated with Iranian authorities.

Likhachev noted that Russia has expressed repeated concern over the risk of projectiles landing near the plant’s nuclear infrastructure since the start of the conflict, including incidents close to the reactor site.

He also said the evacuation process had been planned in advance of the recent ceasefire, with around 600 personnel already removed in multiple phases during March and earlier this month.

The Bushehr plant, Russia’s flagship nuclear energy project in Iran, remains under close international attention amid heightened regional tensions.