Volodymyr Zelensky called for “the world to react” to the destruction of this dam, while the Russian MFA calls on “the international community to condemn the criminal actions of the Ukrainian authorities.”
Moscow and kyiv exchanged accusations again today, this time for the partial destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam in southern Ukraine, and both sides called for international condemnation.
“We call on the international community to condemn the criminal actions of the Ukrainian authorities.which are increasingly inhumane and pose a serious threat to regional and global security,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Moscow intends to raise the issue with the UN Security Council, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and other international organizations, it added.
The partial destruction of this dam -located on the limit of the positions between the warring parties on the Dnieper River-, which occurred today after an explosion, caused flooding that affected both the areas controlled by Kiev and those occupied by the troops russian.
Moscow indicated “colossal damage inflicted on agriculture in the region and the ecosystem of the Dnieper estuary”, in addition to problems in the water supply of Crimea, a peninsula annexed in 2014 by Russia.
The Russian ministry accused kyiv of having “planned in advance and deliberately for military purposes” the destruction of this dam.
“Kiev not only subjected the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station to a massive shelling, but also deliberately raised the water level in the Kakhovka reservoir to a critical level by opening the floodgates of the Dnipropetrovsk hydroelectric power station,” it added.
Ukraine, for its part, accuses Russian forces of blowing up the dam. to stop any offensive in the area.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, also called today for “the world to react” to the destruction of this dam.
At the end of the day, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry issued a statement, describing that “Russian forces blew up the Kakhovka dam in the occupied territory of southern Ukraine,” adding that “this huge concrete structure contained 18.3 cubic kilometers of water” and that the civilian population and the environment downstream of the Dnieper River “are already suffering tremendous damage as a result of the flooding.”
According to the Kiev diplomacy statement, Volodymyr Zelensky immediately convened the National Security and Defense Council and “Ukrainian emergency services are working hard to mitigate the consequences and save lives.”
The ministry also noted that Ukraine has convened an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council and will take “the question of the Russian terrorist act” to the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
“We will also cooperate with the Civil Protection Mechanism of the European Union [UE] and other international mechanisms to mitigate the consequences and hold Russia accountable,” according to the document, which concludes that, “in light of the events on the battlefield, the deliberate and long-planned terrorist act by Russia turned man-made flooding in a gun.” .
According to Ukrainian authorities, entire ecosystems face long-term and irreversible damage from flooding, noting that animals at the New Kakhovka Zoo have already died in rising waters, and “this is just the beginning” of what what did he say. he considers “ecocide on a regional scale, not just Ukrainian”.
“The Kakhovka disaster is further proof that Russia is a terrorist state. All countries, parliaments and international organizations must recognize Russia as such, without delay”, reads the document, which urges the EU and the G7 member states (group of the seven largest economies) to impose “new devastating sanctions” to Russia. , including its missile industry and the sphere of atomic energy.
Source: Observadora
