Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russian forces of deliberately shelling Ukrainian emergency workers involved in the rescue efforts amidst the devastating floods caused by the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam.
During his address on Wednesday, Zelenskyy expressed that over 2,000 individuals have been successfully rescued from the flood-affected regions of Kherson and Mykolaiv. In contrast, he criticized the actions of Moscow's forces in the Russian-occupied areas, alleging that they have abandoned people without any assistance in dealing with the floods.
Zelenskyy stated that the evacuation efforts are ongoing despite the ongoing artillery fire from Russian forces. He described the conditions in the Russian-occupied parts of the Kherson region as "absolutely catastrophic" and urgently called for international humanitarian organizations like the International Committee of the Red Cross to provide immediate aid to those abandoned in the flooded areas.
The Ukrainian president condemned the abandonment of people in dire conditions and emphasized the urgency of rescue, clean water, food, and medical care for those affected in the temporarily occupied territories. Reports from journalists indicated that artillery fire could be heard as people struggled to evacuate with the help of rescue workers. Zelenskyy expressed disappointment in the slow response of the United Nations and the Red Cross to the dam disaster.
Putin first Comment
Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his first comments on the dam explosion, reiterated Russia's position blaming Ukraine for the incident. He claimed that Kyiv authorities, influenced by Western supporters, were responsible for the dam's destruction and accused them of escalating war crimes and terrorism. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan proposed the establishment of a commission to investigate the dam's destruction following conversations with both Putin and Zelenskyy.
The impact of the dam disaster on the ongoing war and Ukraine's planned counteroffensive against Russian forces remains uncertain. However, Kyiv reported that its troops had made progress near the ruined city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, with an advance of over 1 kilometer. Ukrainian officials clarified that the current assaults were localized and that the full-scale offensive had not yet commenced.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a think tank based in Washington, DC, commented on the dam's destruction and suggested that Russia may have had a strategic interest in flooding the lower Dnipro region, despite the damage it caused to their own defensive positions. The ISW believed that Russia's actions might have been an attempt to hinder Ukraine's counteroffensive and provide cover for their potential retreat.
