- Rosatom plans to evacuate more Russian staff and families from Iran's Bushehr plant soon
- About 639 Russian personnel remain in Iran amid US-Israeli airstrikes on nuclear and oil sites
- Some Russian workers stay to maintain equipment despite nearby explosions and safety risks
Russia's state nuclear company, Rosatom, is preparing to evacuate a second group of personnel and family members from Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant. This includes workers involved in constructing Units 2 and 3. The evacuation to “a safe location” in Russia will happen soon, Al Jazeera reported, quoting Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev.
“Our priority in the current situation in Iran is to ensure the safety of Russian personnel,” he said.
Russian Workers Stuck In Iran
Rosatom reports that around 639 Russian personnel are still in Iran, even after evacuating nearly 100 others due to ongoing US and Israeli airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities and oil depots. Over 1,440 people have died in Iran due to the onslaught since February 28, the health ministry reports.
Rosatom expects to bring some 150-200 people back to Russia when it becomes safer between airstrikes.
“We have completed preparations for the second stage of workforce optimisation, namely, the evacuation of family members and some personnel to Russia. We will be transporting them to a safe location shortly,” Likhachev said.
Why Russian Workers Are In Iran
Although the main construction has been temporarily paused, some Russian staff are still maintaining equipment or completing work that cannot be safely stopped. This is why a portion of the workforce is still at the site despite the dangers.
The area around Bushehr has seen explosions just kilometres away, though the plant itself has not been directly targeted, Likhachev said.
“We have lost contact with the leadership of Iran's entire nuclear industry: they are not answering their phones or responding to emails,” Likhachev earlier told Russian News Agency TASS.
Workers are staying in secure settlements, avoiding open areas, and critical maintenance work continues.
Likhachev told TASS, “We still have no idea about the extent of the damage” at other nuclear sites affected by strikes.
Russia-Iran Nuclear Partnership
The Bushehr plant is Iran's only operational nuclear power plant, initially built with Russian assistance. Rosatom later agreed to build additional reactors (Units 2 and 3) to expand the facility. In 2025, Iran and the US had diplomatic negotiations over Iran's nuclear plans, especially its enriched uranium stockpiles.
Iran and Russia signed a 20-year strategic partnership last year, covering defence, counterterrorism, energy, finance, and culture.
Moscow has strengthened ties with Iran to secure missiles and drones for its war in Ukraine. Iran has supplied Shahed drones to Russia, which are also being used in retaliatory strikes against US and allied forces in the Gulf.
How Is Russia Helping Iran?
Last week, Russia denounced the US-Israeli strikes on the West Asian country and called for an immediate ceasefire.
Russia has provided Iran with information that could help Tehran target US military ships, aircraft, and assets in the Gulf regions, Associated Press reported, citing US intelligence sources.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the intelligence sharing is “not making any difference with respect to the military operations in Iran.” Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US is “tracking everything” and incorporating it into battle plans, as per the WSJ.
Russia said they have not received any request for arms or additional military assistance from Tehran during the current conflict. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov confirmed, “There have been no changes in this regard.”
