Europe, US reacts in shock to Russia’s destruction of Kakhovka dam in south Ukraine
World leaders and politicians have reacted to the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant dam by invading Russian forces overnight on June 6, which resulted in dozens of settlements in Ukraine’s southern Kherson Oblast being flooded.https://english.nv.ua/nation/europe-us-reacts-in-shock-to-russia-s-destruction-of-kakhovka-dam-in-south-ukraine-50329882.htmlUkrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has called the incident the biggest man-made disaster in Europe in recent decades.
The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, said he was “shocked by the unprecedented attack on the Nova Kakhovka dam.”
“The destruction of civilian infrastructure clearly qualifies as a war crime – and we will hold Russia and its proxies accountable,” he tweeted.
“Will raise the issue at the European Council in June and propose more assistance to the flooded areas. My thoughts with all the families in Ukraine affected by this catastrophe.”
Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić also condemned Russia’s destruction of a dam in Ukraine, calling it “criminal and reckless.”
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that “the destruction of the Kakhovka dam today puts thousands of civilians at risk and causes severe environmental damage.”
“This is an outrageous act, which demonstrates once again the brutality of Russia’s war in Ukraine,” Stoltenberg wrote on Twitter.
UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who was on a visit to Ukraine on June 6, said it was too early to give a meaningful assessment of the details behind the destruction of the dam in southern Ukraine, but that it had happened because of Russia’s invasion, the Reuters news agency reported.
“We’ll continue to assess the developing situation, but the best thing Russia could do now is withdraw their troops immediately,” Cleverly said.
The demolition of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant dam could also have negative consequences for the occupied Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. Water from the dam is needed for the plant to receive water for turbine condensers and safety systems.
Ukrhydroenergo, the state hydroelectric power company, has reported that the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant has been completely destroyed and cannot be repaired.
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