THEUkraine was hit by a serious accident (almost an act of terrorism rather than war) which involved the Kakhovka dam, Kherson region. According to the Ukrainian authorities, the dam has been made blown up by Russian forces, causing a flood and putting thousands of people at risk. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that it is a act of sabotage operated by the Russians while the Kremlin denies and accuses Kiev instead.
According to the head of the National Security and Defense Council It would be Danilov, quoted by the Ukrainian media Liga: “The dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station in the Kherson region was blown up by Russian 205th Motorized Infantry Brigade".
Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Dmytro kuleba, in a tweet stated that “Russia has destroyed the Kakhovka dam, causing probably the biggest technological disaster in Europe in decades and putting thousands of civilians at risk. This is a heinous war crime. The only way to stop Russia, the greatest terrorist of the XNUMXst century, is to drive it out of Ukraine”.
40.000 people in danger, 24 villages flooded
According to the Ukrainian authorities, the dam was completely destroyed due to the explosion of the engine room from the inside. The Ukrainian government speaks of disaster and thousands of people in danger, so much so that theevacuation of those in the area most at risk. The dam break led to theflooding of twenty-four villages including Tyaginka, Lvovoe, Otradokamenka (Berislavsky district), Ivanovka, Nikolskoye, Tokarevka, Ponyatovka, Belozerka, Ostrov microdistrict (Kherson district). started onevacuation of more than 40.000 people. Rescue operations are complicated since “approx 25.000 people are in the Russian controlled areaDeputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine Viktoriya Lytvynova said on live TV.
Moscow denies and accuses Kiev of sabotage
Il Kremlin has denied the Ukrainian allegations claiming instead that it was sabotage by Kiev. The news of the collapse of the dam was confirmed by the Russian emergencies ministry which accused Kiev of having bombed it on purpose. According to a correspondent of the Russian news agency RIA Novosti on the spot, Ukrainian forces continued to bombard the dam area with artillery. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov spoke of "sabotage" which "could have very negative consequences for tens of thousands of residents of the region, environmental and other consequences that have yet to be ascertained". Peskov stressed that the action outside of Kiev would also have been carried out because the "large-scale offensive" launched two days ago by his forces failed, with the operations having reached a "stall" situation. At the moment, for Moscow, there would be no danger for the population in the region. The Kakhovka dam is a strategic facility for supplying water to the Crimea region annexed by Russia. After the invasion in February 2022, the Russian military controls the region where the dam is located.
“Unfortunately, Russia has controlled the dam and the entire Kakhovka hydroelectric plant for more than a year. It is physically impossible to somehow detonate it from the outsidewith a bombing. She was undermined. It was mined by the Russian occupiers and blown up by them” the Ukrainian president reiterated Volodymyr Zelensky speaking to participants gathered in Bratislava, Slovakia for the Bucharest Nine Summit of the Association of Nine Central and Eastern European Countries (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia).
Concerns also for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
The collapse of the dam has relieved concerns also for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which uses water from the Dnipro River to cool reactors. The damage done to the Kakhovka dam”could have negative consequences for the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, but the situation is under control“, said the Ukrainian nuclear operator Energoatom. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said there is no immediate nuclear danger, but is monitoring the situation closely.
Support from the European Union
THEEuropean Union has offered its support to Ukraine and has declared itself ready to provide immediate aid. “We remain in contact with the Ukrainian authorities to ensure immediate assistance from the EU. The European Commission's Emergency Response Coordination Center (ERCC) is actively monitoring the situation and is in close contact with the Ukrainian State Emergency Service. Ukraine can request assistance under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM): we are ready to respond to any immediate needs, including food and drinking water" so in a statement Josep Borrell and the Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government has called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to address the situation.
Cardinal Zuppi received by Zelensky
During the day, the meeting also took place between the Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, sent by the pope as the sole interlocutor for Russia and Ukraine and President Volodymir Zelensky. The meeting would have been very cordial. "Sincere, cordial and important" was the comment of the apostolic nuncio in Kiev, Visvaldas Kulbokas. "The cardinal was very grateful for the attention and for an important conversation aimed at gathering thoughts and reflections on the" political situation and humanitarian possibilities in Ukraine, "on which he will then have to reflect together with the Holy Father", said Monsignor Kulbokas to journalists present in front of the nunciature in Kiev where the cardinal stayed. Zelensky and Zuppi would have discussed some key points to proceed in the direction of a stable and concrete dialogue. On Telegram, the Ukrainian president intervened to talk about the meeting: “I met Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, special envoy of Pope Francis. We discussed the situation in Ukraine and humanitarian cooperation within the framework of the Ukrainian Peace Formula. Only joint efforts, diplomatic isolation and pressure on Russia can influence the aggressor and bring about a just peace on Ukrainian soil,” Zelensky says. “I ask the Holy See to contribute to the implementation of the Ukrainian peace plan. L'Ukraine welcomes the readiness of other states and partners to find ways to peace, but since the war is on our territory, the algorithm for achieving peace can only be Ukrainian", the president declared, also specifying that a "ceasefire" will not be enough to bring about peace in the region. Cardinal Zuppi's mission will continue today with other meetings at the end of which the results of the mission in Ukraine and the steps that will be taken in the following weeks will be reported to the Pope.
