MOSCOW, June 19. /TASS/. The safety of UN representatives would be at risk if they traveled to the areas that were affected by the breach of the dam at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant as they are shelled by Ukraine, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"The area is regularly shelled (by Ukraine - TASS). There are regular provocations there, civilian facilities are shelled, people are shelled, people are killed, so thing are complicated. It’s very hard to ensure their security," the spokesman said, explaining why it would be hard for UN representatives to visit areas on the eastern bank of the Dnieper.
He also said there are "other nuances."
When asked to comment on the statement of the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine Denise Brown about access to the areas affected by the collapse of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, Peskov said that he did not know all the details.
"There are a lot of questions there: How to cross, where the line of engagement is, ensuring security," he said.
Brown released a statement on Sunday that the UN will continue to push for access to the affected areas that are under Russian control.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces inflicted a missile strike on the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant on the morning of June 6, destroying its valves and prompting an uncontrolled discharge of water. The water level in Novaya Kakhovka rose as high as 12 meters, before starting to subside. Thirty-five settlements and areas have been affected by floodwaters. Residents of nearby settlements are being evacuated. Officials said 35 people were killed during the flooding. The destruction of the dam has caused serious damage to the environment, washed away farmlands along the Dnieper and raised the risk of the North Crimean Canal drying up. Saldo has said 7,200 people were evacuated from flooded areas. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the attack on the Kakhovka HPP a deliberate act of sabotage by Ukraine and said that the Kiev regime should be held responsible for the consequences.