Rosatom Completes Mass Evacuation of 600 Personnel from Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Plant

Rosatom has withdrawn over 600 employees from the Bushehr nuclear site due to the Iran war. Only 20 volunteers remain to oversee safety.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 21, 2026, 6:20 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Anadolu Agency.

Evacuation Concludes Amid Heightened Nuclear Safety Risks

The Russian state atomic energy corporation, Rosatom, has officially completed a month-long operation to withdraw its workforce from the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). Speaking from a press briefing in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Alexey Likhachev announced that more than 600 employees have been successfully returned to Russia. The move signals a significant retreat from one of Moscow’s most prominent industrial projects in the Middle East, driven by the escalating kinetic conflict between the joint U.S.-Israeli coalition and Iranian forces. Likhachev noted that the evacuated personnel are currently "resting and recovering" following their departure from the high-tension combat zone.

Skeleton Crew of Volunteers Left to Monitor Reactors

Despite the mass withdrawal, the Bushehr facility has not been completely abandoned. Likhachev confirmed that a skeleton crew of 20 volunteers remains at the NPP site to oversee critical maintenance and safety protocols. An additional four personnel remain in Tehran to maintain diplomatic and technical liaisons. This minimal presence is designed to ensure that the reactors—particularly the active first power unit—remain in a stable state, preventing a potential radiological disaster should the site be caught in the crossfire of the ongoing "Operation Epic Fury."

End of a Three-Decade Infrastructure Partnership

The evacuation marks a somber milestone in a partnership that dates back to 1995, when Russia first contracted to build the Bushehr plant. Since the facility became operational in 2011, it has served as a cornerstone of Iran’s domestic energy strategy and a symbol of Russian-Iranian technical cooperation. In 2014, the two nations expanded this partnership with a contract for two additional reactors. However, the current military environment, characterized by frequent missile and drone exchanges, has rendered continued construction and standard operation untenable for international contractors.