How world leaders reacted to the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station

On the morning of June 6, the dam of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station in the Kherson region collapsed. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu called the collapse of the dam the result of Kyiv’s actions. The territories of the region controlled by both Russia and Ukraine, including the cities of Novaya Kakhovka, Golaya Pristan, Alyoshki, part of the city of Kherson, and others with a total population of more than 40,000 people, were in the flood zone. Both sides of the conflict began to evacuate, there are the first missing people. What happened threatens epidemiological, energy, environmental and climate risks.

President of the European Council Charles Michelle stated that he was shocked by the destruction of the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station. “We will hold Russia accountable,” Michel tweeted on Tuesday.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen blamed Russia for the incident, noting that “the destruction of the dam (which is under the control of Russia. – Vedomosti), the outrageous attack on civilian infrastructure endangers hundreds of thousands of people.” She promised Ukraine humanitarian aid from Brussels in the form of the delivery of drainage pumps and fire hoses to pump water from the flooded territories controlled by Kyiv.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also laid responsibility for the destruction of part of its own hydroelectric power station on the Russian side. He added that Berlin is monitoring the situation with the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, which is dependent in terms of reactor cooling on the water level in the Kakhovka reservoir.

The United States intends to continue to provide assistance to Ukraine, US President Joe Bidencommenting on the situation around the destruction of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station, he did not make a direct accusation of Russia from him.

Intelligence services and the military of Great Britain are studying the circumstances of the destruction of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station and it is too early to draw any conclusions, said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. According to him, if it turns out that the dam was deliberately destroyed, it would be the largest attack on civilian infrastructure since the outbreak of hostilities.

According to Sunak, the first priority is to cope with the consequences of the disaster, which led to the flooding of settlements and threatened the supply of drinking water.

Premier Channels Justin Trudeau called “absolutely devastating” for residents the consequences of the destruction of the dam, speaking to reporters in Ottawa.

Polish President Andrzej Duda called the collapse of the dam an “environmental disaster” for hundreds of thousands of people. “Those who are responsible must be punished in the form of reparations,” he said.

In the CIS, only the President of Moldova Maya commented on the incident. sanduwho blamed Russia and offered assistance to Ukraine.

Head of New Kakhovka Vladimir Leontiev called the Ukrainian authorities responsible for the destruction of the hydroelectric power station. “The destruction of the hydropower plant is a catastrophe created by the Ukrainian authorities and those who manage them. A puppet Ukrainian regime,” he said on the air of Solovyov Live.

“We can now unequivocally state that we are talking about a deliberate sabotage by the Ukrainian side,” Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov. He noted that the incident could entail “very serious consequences for several tens of thousands of residents of the region.”

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu declared the explosion of the structures of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station a terrorist act.

“Tonight, the Kiev regime committed another terrorist crime: the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station was blown up, which led to the flooding of large areas,” he said. Shoigu noted that what happened will have severe and long-term consequences for the environment.

Kyiv has significantly increased the discharge of water from the Dnepropetrovsk hydroelectric power station, which exacerbates the situation with flooding – and this proves the “large-scale sabotage” planned by Kiev, he is sure. According to the head of the Ministry of Defense, due to the lack of success in the counteroffensive, the Ukrainian authorities intend to transfer units from the Kherson direction to the area of ​​offensive operations.

“Blowing up the dam of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station is another planned terrorist attack by the Kyiv regime aimed at destroying civilians and civilian infrastructure,” said Nikolai, Secretary of the Russian Security Council. Patrushev at a meeting with State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus Alexander Volfovich on June 7.

According to him, Ukrainian troops have been shelling Novaya Kakhovka, which is located near the station, for more than a year.