Image: HANDOUT (ENERGOBREATH)
Military expert Markus Reisner suspects that the Russian occupiers blew up the dam in order to hinder the planned Ukrainian counter-offensive. “The landing of amphibious forces is not possible,” said the military analyst of the Armed Forces in the ZDF Mittagsmagazin.
According to information from Kiev, tens of thousands of people have to be brought to safety from the floods. On the Ukrainian-controlled right bank of the Dnipro River alone, 17,000 residents would have to be rescued.
Around 1,300 people had left their homes by the afternoon, according to Ukrainian sources, said Deputy Prosecutor General Viktoria Lytvynova. Another 25,000 people are in danger on the Russian-occupied southern side of the river, according to Kiev. Little was initially known about her fate.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal spoke of the risk of flooding for up to 80 towns. Military governor Olexander Prokudin initially reported that eight towns were completely or partially under water – including parts of the city of Cherson. Initially, there was no information about the dead or injured.
According to the EU, the destruction of the dam endangers hundreds of thousands of civilians. About 80 settlements were affected, including the regional capital Cherson, said the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and the Commissioner responsible for crisis management Janez Lenarcic.
“This is another devastating consequence of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in New York on Tuesday. However, the United Nations had no independent knowledge of how the destruction of the dam came about. The United Nations Security Council is expected to deal with the incident on Tuesday. An emergency meeting had been scheduled for 4:00 p.m. (10:00 p.m. CEST), according to diplomatic sources.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu accused Ukrainian forces of being responsible for the destruction of the hydroelectric dam in southern Ukraine. As a result of the destruction in the Russian-occupied territory, surrounding areas were flooded. This “sabotage” is aimed at “preventing offensive actions by the Russian army in this area of the front,” said Shoigu.
He also announced the deaths of 71 of their soldiers while deployed to repel Ukrainian attacks. “For three days, the Ukrainian regime has launched a long-promised offensive in different sectors of the front.” In addition, there were 210 injured, he said.
Source: Nachrichten
