Kherson region is under water after the explosion of Kakhovskaya HPP

The reaction of President V.Zelenskyi and the authorities of Ukraine:

Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, said that due to the explosion of the Kakhovskaya HPP, V.Zelenskyi called an emergency meeting of the National Security Council.

The President of Ukraine V.Zelenskyi emphasized that the destruction of the dam of the Kakhovskaya HPP shows that the occupiers must be immediately expelled from every corner of Ukraine.

“Not a single meter can be left to them, because they use every meter for terror. Only the victory of Ukraine will restore security. And this victory will be. Neither water, nor rockets, nor anything else, terrorists will be able to stop Ukraine,” wrote the President of Ukraine.

The President of Ukraine V.Zelenskyi was informed at a meeting of the NSDC that at least 150 tons of machine oil fell into the Dnipro River due to the explosion of the Kakhovskaya HPP, and more than 300 tons more may fall. 80 settlements were in the flooding zone.

Subsequently, the President of Ukraine stated at the summit of the “Bucharest Nine” that “Russia has detonated a bomb of mass environmental destruction. And this is real ecocide!”. The president also called the detonation the biggest man-made environmental disaster in Europe in decades. In addition, the head of state called on NATO to decide on the country’s accession to the Alliance.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine announced that they will convene an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council, will bring the issue of the terrorist attack to a meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors, and will try to use the EU civil protection mechanism. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged the foreign policy departments of the G7 and the EU to urgently consider new sanctions against the Russian Federation.

How the explosion of the Kakhovskaya HPP will affect other regions

Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of the Kryvorizka city military administration, noted that up to 70% of the city’s water is supplied from the Kakhovsky Reservoir through the “Southern” Reservoir. The local authorities took technical measures in advance to ensure the life of the city in case of any incidents at the hydroelectric power station.

On the morning of June 6, an emergency meeting was held in Kryvyi Rih to assess the situation and implement a plan that includes technical and organizational measures. It is about laying pipes, creating new water intakes, new pumping stations. Vilkul assured that “there will be water”.

At the same time, the water level is rapidly decreasing in the Dnipropetrovsk region, so the local authorities called on the residents of the region to stock up on drinking and technical water.

As for the situation in Zaporizhzhia, there is no threat to the supply of water for local residents. In addition, the water level in the cooling ponds of Zaporizhzhya NPP is still sufficient.

The head of the Mykolaiv regional military administration, Vitaly Kim, reported readiness for greater consequences and for the fulfillment of all tasks: all points have been deployed, buses, routes – everything has been worked out.

“Kyivvodokanal” reported that the undermining of the Kakhovskaya HPP dam and the release of water from the Kakhovskaya Reservoir will in no way affect Kyiv’s water supply.

What is the purpose and consequences for the front of blowing up the Kakhovskaya HPP

By undermining the Kakhovskaya HPP, the Russians are trying to delay the actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Serhii Zgurets, director of the information and consulting company Defense Express, believes. Yes, the invaders hope that a so-called “security strip” will be formed, which the Ukrainian military will allegedly find difficult to cross.

The Russians mined the Kakhovskaya HPP twice before detonating it on June 6. In particular, the undermining of the station indicates panic among its troops and attempts to complicate the actions of the Armed Forces.

As the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Mykhailo Podolyak, stated, the purpose of undermining the Kakhovskaya HPP is to create obstacles to the offensive of the Armed Forces and slow down the just end of the war.

Podolyak also reported that according to preliminary information, the Kakhovskaya HPP was blown up by the 205th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces.

Commenting on the detonation of the HPP, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine stated that the Russians would not be able to implement their plan to deter the offensive of the Armed Forces. The Russians are now on the defensive.

As the commander of the United Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Serhiy Naev, reported, the military command anticipated the possibility of the Russians undermining the Kakhovskaya HPP, and the fact of this crime should not harm the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

According to military expert Oleg Zhdanov, the Russians could have blown up the hydroelectric power station because they understand that they will not be able to hold back the front line. He believes that this act of the Russians and the flooding of the territories may adjust the plans for the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces, but will not make it impossible.

The reaction of the world and the Russian Federation to the explosion of the Kakhovskaya HPP

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that blowing up the station is “an outrageous act that once again demonstrates the brutality of war.” He added that the destruction of the dam endangers the lives of thousands of civilians and causes serious damage to the environment.

At the same time, the spokesman of the President of the Russian Federation, Dmytro Peskov, cynically accused Ukraine of undermining the HPP. He called it a “sabotage of Kyiv”, which supposedly “aims to deprive Crimea of ​​water”.

The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opened a case under the article about a terrorist attack and began to investigate the circumstances of the “destruction of the Kakhovskaya HPP”.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the detonation of the HPP a “new dimension” of Russia’s war against Ukraine. According to him, the destruction of the station “corresponds to the way Putin is waging this war.” Scholz said Berlin was following the situation “with attention and concern.”

“This is consistent with the many crimes that we have seen committed by Russian soldiers in Ukraine, and is part of hostilities, during which civilian objects – cities, villages, hospitals, schools – were attacked,” the Chancellor of Germany said.