NOVAYA KAKHOVKA /Kherson Region/, June 8. /TASS/. The water level in the flooded town of Novaya Kakhovka is on the decline and has already dropped by 1.2 meters, Mayor Vladimir Leontyev told journalists on Thursday.

"The water level continues to drop, not as fast as we would like, but it is 1.2 meters [lower] already, maybe more, the water is definitely gone, it is slowly receding, we predict that this process will accelerate," he said, adding that municipal services received additional generators and water-pumping equipment to speed up the process.

Ukrainian forces shelled the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) in the early morning hours on June 6, which resulted in the collapse of the hydraulic sluice gate valves on the plant’s dam, triggering an uncontrolled discharge of water. Water levels in Novaya Kakhovka reached 12 meters but are now receding. According to emergency services, there are 35 population centers and territories in the flood zone. The residents of nearby communities are being evacuated. The destruction of the power generation facility has seriously damaged the environment, washing away farmland along the Dnieper River and threatening water levels in the North Crimean Canal. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed that the attack on the Kakhovka HPP was a premeditated act of sabotage. He added that the responsibility for its consequences fully lies with the Kiev regime.