MOSCOW, June 9. /TASS/. The evacuation of people from part of the Kherson region after the collapse of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) is being carried out under incessant barbaric Ukrainian shelling, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"All the work is being done under Ukrainian shelling. This shelling does not stop. It is more than barbaric shelling. You know that as a result of this shelling there are casualties among the flood victims, including a pregnant woman," he pointed out.
According to Peskov, it’s important to remember that the very devastating flood in the Kherson Region was also caused by Kiev's sabotage. "More precisely, the Ukrainian side blew up the dam of the Kakhovka HPP," he explained.
The Kremlin spokesman pointed out that the Russian authorities at all levels are acting selflessly in this situation. He drew attention to the fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin is keeping an eye on the situation and is constantly receiving reports from the Emergencies Ministry and the servicemen. "On the instructions of the president, the Emergencies Ministry is taking active measures, using all possible additional resources to help people. Local authorities are also working selflessly," Peskov added.
Situation with Kakhovka HPP
On the morning of June 6, Ukrainian forces delivered a strike on the Kakhovka HPP, presumably from an Olkha multiple launch rocket system (MLRS). The shelling destroyed the hydraulic sluice valves at the HPP’s dam, triggering an uncontrolled discharge of water. In Novaya Kakhovka, the water level exceeded 12 meters at one point, but is now receding. There are currently 35 population centers in the flood zone; residents of nearby towns and villages are being evacuated. On Thursday, Vladimir Saldo, Acting Governor of the Kherson Region, reported that seven people, including two civilians, were killed as a result of Ukrainian shelling of the evacuation zone in Golaya Prystan. On Friday, emergency services told TASS that the body of another woman, 84, had been found, making her theeeight casualty since the incident. In addition, several dozen other victims were hospitalized.
The collapse of the hydro plant's dam has caused serious environmental damage. Farmlands along the Dnieper River have been washed away, and there is a risk that the North Crimean Canal will become shallow.