MOSCOW, August 25. /TASS/. The dam at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant needs to be restored to provide water to the Crimea, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin told TASS. He was speaking at the site of the Moscow Urban Forum.

"We need to restore the Kakhovka dam. [this is needed] not only for the water supply of Crimea," he said.

"We have a water canal that goes to Crimea and it is linked to that reservoir, as well as water canals that supply [water] to both the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions," he said.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister, currently two options to supply water to Crimea, Zaporozhye and Kherson are being considered - one with the restoration of the dam and the other without its repair.

"We are working on both. Today our task is to ensure that the settlements that depend on these channels have water. <...> We had a problem with the water supply in Crimea - we drilled, made new underground springs, made water conduits, and built links between storage facilities. So now we are essentially repeating this work in the new territories," he said.

On the morning of June 6, 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. Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the strike on the Kakhovka dam as an act of deliberate sabotage by Ukrainian forces.

The Moscow Urban Forum opened in Moscow on August 1. Four large venues - Gostiny Dvor, Manezh Central Exhibition Hall, Zaryadye Park and Luzhniki - will operate in the capital until September 10. Along with the business program, the forum hosts an open Urban Fest event with lectures, concerts, exhibitions and workshops. TASS is the general news agency for the Moscow Urban Forum-2023.