MOSCOW, February 29. /TASS/. Losses from the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydropower Plant by Ukrainian troops are to huge to be immediately assessed, governor of the Kherson Region Vladimir Saldo told TASS.
"As for the damage, it is huge and, probably, cannot be calculated now. And, probably, should not because it is not one or two, not even ten billion. What matters most is that after the collapse of the Kakhovka Dam the Russian government, all our specialists consolidated efforts to prevent consequences. And we have managed to prevent epidemics. A lot of work was done to clear up the flooded areas," he said.
Deputy Prime Minister of the Kherson Region Alexander Vetrov said in November that, according to the estimates done by the Russian ministry of natural resources, the damage to the region stood at some 468 billion rubles (around $5.110 billion under the current exchange rate).
On the morning of June 6, 2023, the Ukrainian military launched a missile attack on the Kakhovka HPP, which resulted in the destruction of gate sluice valves at the HPP’s dam, triggering an uncontrolled discharge of water. Water levels in Novaya Kakhovka rose to 12 meters, flooding more than 700 residential houses. The destruction of the hydropower plant caused serious environmental damage with farmlands along the Dnieper River being washed away. According to emergency services, the flooding left 57 people dead and 175 injured.