Dana Drábová, who led Czech nuclear safety office for a quarter-century, dies

Long-serving chair of the State Office for Nuclear Safety (SÚJB) Dana Drábová died today after a serious illness, aged 64. The office, which oversees the use of nuclear energy, announced her death to the Czech News Agency (ČTK). Nuclear engineer Drábová led it for more than a quarter-century, from 1999. She was also involved in local politics, serving for many years as a councillor and deputy mayor of Pyšely in the Benešov area, and briefly as a member of the Central Bohemian regional council.

"It is with deep regret that I inform you that the chair of the State Office for Nuclear Safety, Ms Dana Drábová, died today, 6 October 2025, as a result of a serious illness," the SÚJB said.

An announcement appeared this afternoon on Drábová's profile on social media platform X, where she had regularly reported on the radiation situation in Ukraine since Russia's invasion. It said she had died after a short, serious illness, surrounded by those closest to her.

Drábová was first appointed head of the SÚJB in October 1999 by the Social Democratic government of Miloš Zeman. Her term was most recently extended two years ago by the current government of Petr Fiala (ODS). The office is responsible for oversight of the use of nuclear energy. It authorises the operation of nuclear power plants and other facilities and, in addition to the nuclear units at Dukovany and Temelín, monitors the safe handling of radiation by around 8,000 other licence holders.

The start of Dana Drábová's professional career was shaped by the accident at the Soviet Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the spring of 1986. In recent years, Drábová often commented on the situation in Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia, particularly the risk of contamination in the event of a nuclear accident. She publicly supported Ukraine, for example through the Gift for Putin and Lighting Up Ukraine projects.

Drábová received numerous state and professional awards and represented the Czech Republic in many other international activities. Experts and politicians praised her extensive knowledge and her ability to talk about the complex subject of nuclear energy in an accessible and humorous way. "Dana Drábová was a tireless and popular advocate of science and of the use of nuclear energy and ionising radiation. She was able to explain the most complex physical processes in a simple and universally understandable way, a skill she put to use in countless lectures, seminars, videos and public meetings," the State Office for Nuclear Safety said today in the biography of its late chair.

The town of Pyšely, whose council Drábová had served on since 1998 and where she had been deputy mayor since 2010, also paid tribute to her. "She will remain in our hearts forever," Pyšely said on its website.

Drábová also had her critics, including among environmentalists. Some questioned the length of her tenure as head of the SÚJB.

In the 2016 regional elections, she was elected to the Central Bohemian regional council on the STAN ticket, receiving the most preference votes. A debate then began over whether the council role was compatible with her position as head of the SÚJB. The Ministry of the Interior argued that serving as a councillor and as a senior state official were incompatible. Drábová, however, did not want to give up her seat, and the regional council also refused to remove her from office. The dispute arose because the election law and the civil service law were worded differently. In May 2017, Drábová ultimately announced that she would resign from her position as a Central Bohemian councillor.