GENICHESK, June 9. /TASS/. The Dnieper River water level has peaked following the flooding caused by the collapse of the dam at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, Kherson Region Interim Governor Vladimir Saldo said on Thursday.
"The water level has largely peaked. Water in the Novaya Kakhovka municipality has started to subside. But huge areas in the Aleshkino and Golaya Pristan municipal districts still remain flooded," he said on Telegram.
He said officials won’t be able to assess the damage until after floodwaters fully retreat.
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 release 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 seven people were killed during the flooding. Two of them were killed in an artillery strike on an evacuation center, according to the officials. More than 60 people were taken to hospitals.
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. 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.