Huge masses of water have been pouring out of the destroyed Kakhovka dam in the southern Ukrainian region of Cherson since Tuesday. Now the Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is visiting the area – with the promise to compensate the people.
A few days after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to the flooded region. In the Cherson region, among other things, he got an idea of the ongoing evacuations, Zelensky said.
Zelenskyj described the flooding caused by the destruction of the dam as a “difficult test” for the local population. He assured the local people that everything should be rebuilt. At the same time, he thanked the rescue workers and medical staff and described them and their work near the front as “heroic”.
indemnities for businesses and residents
During his visit, Zelenskyi also promised funds to compensate residents and companies who had to leave their homes and facilities due to the rising water masses. In addition, Selenskyj published a video showing him with residents, rescuers and soldiers. You can also see houses, of which only the tip of the roof protrudes from the mass of water.
Before his visit to the flooded areas, Zelenskyy had already accused international aid organizations of being too slow in providing the necessary support.
flood plain becomes bigger
The dam in the city of Nowa Kachowka, which was occupied by Russian troops, was destroyed on Tuesday night. Since then, huge amounts of water have flowed out of the reservoir: According to the Ukrainian representation, the flood area is already 600 square kilometers in size. A good two-thirds of the flooded area is Russian-occupied territory.
Huge masses of water continue to flow unhindered across the country from the reservoir behind the shattered dam. Numerous places have been flooded, including the regional capital of Kherson. The water level in the lake had dropped by a meter within 24 hours, according to the state hydroelectric power station operator Ukrhydroenergo in Kiev.
No visit from Putin planned
Unlike the Ukrainian President, Russia’s head of state Vladimir Putin does not want to travel to the flooded areas in Ukraine occupied by his own troops for the time being. This was announced by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, as reported by the Russian news agency Interfax.
According to Russian authorities, there are dead and injured as a result of the flooding. The mayor of the city of Nowa Kakhovka, which is located on the dam, Vladimir Leontyev, appointed by Russia, announced that five people who had been reported missing were dead. Two other missing people were found alive, Leontyev told Russian state television. At least 40 people were also injured.
In the area, the Dnipro River is practically the front line. So far, at least 4,000 people have been brought to safety on both sides of the front. The full extent of the disaster in an area of more than 60,000 people was still not clear.
Shaded: territories occupied by Russia
Ukraine blames Russia
Like many international observers, Ukraine blames Russia for the disaster. The government of the attacked country is convinced that Moscow had the dam blown up in order to hinder the planned Ukrainian counter-offensive. Moscow denies the allegations and blames Kiev.
Kremlin spokesman Peskov also accused Ukraine of obstructing the evacuations in the Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine through sustained shelling. Moscow-appointed Kherson regional governor Vladimir Saldo wrote on Telegram that two people had been killed and two others injured by Ukrainian shelling.
The Ukrainian side had previously made similar allegations against Russia. According to the AFP news agency, the local prosecutor’s office in Kherson reported that a civilian was killed by Russian shelling in the city. Four people were also injured in a place near Cherson. The information on both sides cannot be checked independently.
conflicting parties as a source
Information on the course of the war, shelling and casualties provided by official bodies of the Russian and Ukrainian conflict parties cannot be directly checked by an independent body in the current situation.
Probably also a setback for Russian troops
The General Staff in Kiev assumes that the Russian troops lost fighters, equipment and military technology as a result of the destruction of the dam. There are dead, injured and missing soldiers.
Experts from the US Institute for War Studies (ISW) also found that Russian defense positions on the front line had been destroyed by the torrential waters from the reservoir.
Russian military bloggers believe that Ukrainian troops can now penetrate the occupied territory more easily in order to recapture the region and then the annexed Black Sea peninsula of Crimea. Ukraine rejects this as propaganda.