ST. PETERSBURG, June 15. /TASS/. The collapse of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) will not affect the outlook on Russia’s total harvest, Deputy Prime Minister Victoria Abramchenko told TASS on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
"I don’t think that (it) will affect total projected volumes, though this is a serious blow on self-sufficiency of those regions, of course. We expected quite heavy crop of vegetables, potatoes," she said.
Earlier, the press service of Russia’s Agriculture Ministry said that the ministry did not plan to revise its grain harvest outlook for the new agricultural season due to damages to the Kakhovka HPP.
In the early morning hours of June 6, Ukrainian forces delivered a strike on the Kakhovka HPP. The shelling destroyed the hydraulic sluice valves at the HPP’s dam, triggering an uncontrolled discharge of water. It stood as high as 12 meters in Novaya Kakhovka, but the water is gradually subsiding now. A total of 35 communities and territories found themselves in the flood zone; residents of nearby population centers are being evacuated. Eight people are reported to have died (including two killed when an evacuation assembly area was shelled) and more than 60 taken to the hospital.
The collapse of the hydro plant’s dam has caused serious environmental damage, with farmland along the Dnieper River being washed away and a heightened risk that water levels in the North Crimean Canal will become unsustainably low. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the attack on the Kakhovka HPP as a deliberate act of sabotage by Ukraine, adding that the Kiev regime should bear full responsibility for the consequences.
The 26th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) - Russia’s showcase annual economic and business event - is being held on June 14-17. 'Sovereign Development as the Basis of a Just World: Joining Forces for Future Generations' is theme of this year’s forum. TASS is the official information partner of the event.
SPIEF’s expanded business program offers attendees the opportunity to participate in more than 140 sessions featuring over 1,000 moderators and speakers, according to event organizer Roscongress Foundation. In line with tradition, Russian President Vladimir Putin will address the plenary session of SPIEF on Friday.