Nova Kakhovka dam attack 'deliberate sabotage' by Ukraine, alleges Russia
Earlier, the Ukrainian government had alleged Russia of blowing up the Nova Kakhovka dam on the Dnipro River.
PremiumRussia on 6 June said an attack on a major dam in Moscow-occupied southern Ukraine was 'deliberate sabotage' by Kyiv, as it wanted to cut off Russian-occupied Crimea from water.
"We can already unequivocally declare (this was) deliberate sabotage by the Ukrainian side," news agency AFP quoted Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying, adding, "One of the aims was to deprive Crimea of water."
Earlier, the Ukrainian government had alleged Russia of blowing up the Nova Kakhovka dam on the Dnipro River. Following the dam was blown up, Kyiv called for people living downstream to evacuate in the face of catastrophic flooding, reported The Guardian.
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According to aerial footage circulated on social media, most of the dam wall washed away after it was blown and a massive surge of water was heading downstream.
Kherson region governor Oleksandr Prokudin said that about 16,000 people were in the 'critical zone' on the Ukrainian-controlled right bank of the river. He added that people are being evacuated for districts upstream of Kherson city. They will be further taken to Mykolaiv and other Ukrainian cities, including Khmelnytskyi, Odesa, Kropyvnytskyi, and Kyiv via buses and trains, he said.
As per reports, the dam collapse happened on the second day of Ukrainian offensive operations that may mark the early stages of a mass counteroffensive, reported The Guardian.
Reacting to the development, the Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter. “The purpose is obvious: to create insurmountable obstacles on the way of the advancing [Ukrainian army] … to slow down the fair final of the war. On a vast territory, all life will be destroyed; many settlements will be ruined; colossal damage will be done to the environment."
With agency inputs.
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