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09:40 : Shocked by the unprecedented attack of the Nova Kakhovka dam. The destruction of civilian infrastructure clearly qualifies as a war crime – and we will hold Russia and its proxies accountable.
09:39 : On Twitter, the President of the European Council says “shocked by the unprecedented attack on the Nova Kakhovka dam”. “The destruction of civilian infrastructure is clearly a war crime and we will hold Russia and its affiliates to account”writes Charles Michel.
09:37 : On its Telegram account, the Ukrzaliznytsia railway company announces that it is setting up additional trains to organize the evacuation of the inhabitants of Kherson. The first train will leave the city at 11 a.m.
(FRANCEINFO)
09:17 : kyiv makes a different analysis of the situation: in total, 80 localities near the Dnipro threaten to be flooded, calculates the Ukrainian Prime Minister, Denys Chmyhal, on Telegram.
09:12 : After the partial destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam, the Russian occupation affirms that hasno large locality is threatened with flooding. “According to the emergency services, the water has risen (…) to a level of between 2 and 4 meters which does not threaten large localities” located below the dam along the river, says on Telegram Andrei Alekseïenko, the head of the government of the Kherson region, installed by Russia.
08:47 : In total, 80 localities close to the Dnipro threaten to be flooded, declares the Ukrainian Prime Minister. “The destruction of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station is a terrorist act on the part of Russia, which bears full responsibility”. The priority is now to evacuate the inhabitants of risk areas, adds Denys Chmyhal on Telegram.
08:46 : The Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power plant has been completely destroyed, announces the company Ukrhydroenergo, after a “detonation inside the engine room”. It cannot be restored.
08:29 : The Kherson regional prosecutor’s office announces the opening of a preliminary investigation in the framework of criminal proceedings into the facts of“ecocide” and of “violation of the laws and customs of war”details the office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.
08:28 : “As the offensive of the Ukrainian Defense Forces approaches, the aggressor has once again shown its terrorist essence and cynicism”reacts the Ukrainian army in a press release from the Strategic Communications Center. “Ukraine is equipped with all crossings, boats and pontoons necessary to cross water obstacles. The actions of the enemy (…) will not stop the defense forces of Ukraine”.
08:26 : Government authorities are calling on residents of at-risk areas to follow several instructions. In particular, they are asked to cut off electrical appliances and gas at home, and to evacuate to safe areas with their identity papers and food.
(UKRAINIAN INTERIOR MINISTRY)
8:25 : The governor of the oblast of Kherson, Oleksandr Prikudin, announces that several localities were already totally or partially flooded on the western bank of the Dnipro. Evacuations are already organized by bus. “Around 16,000 people are in the critical zone” specifies the leader on Ukrainian television.
08:15 : The IAEA is aware of reports of damage at #Ukraine‘s Kakhovka dam; IAEA experts at #Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant are closely monitoring the situation; no immediate nuclear safety risk at plant.#ZNPP
08:17 : @burnt earth : indeed, the destruction of the dam could potentially have consequences on the nuclear power plant of Zaporijia (occupied by Russian forces). But as things stand, there is no “Tono immediate risk to nuclear safety at the plant”ensures at the moment on Twitter the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
(SATELLITE IMAGE / 2023 MAXAR TECH / AFP)
08:12 : A dam destroyed and in the end it will be the Zaporizhia power plant?
08:03 : Direct consequence: the power supply is now cut in a district of Kherson (that of Korabel). “DWithin a few hours, the gas supply will also be cut off for safety reasons”warns on Telegram Roman Mrochko, the head of the military administration of the city Kherson.
07:58 : The Russians seized from the beginning of their offensive this hydroelectric dam, which supplies water to a large part of southern Ukraine. Here are some images shot at the time.
07:50 : On his Telegram account, Energoatom says “monitor the situation”. “Water from the Kakhovsky reservoir is necessary for the station to receive the energy needed for the turbine capacitors. The station’s cooling basin is now full: at 8 a.m., the water level is 16.6 meters, which is sufficient for the station’s needs.”explain IUkrainian operator.
07:47 : An archive comes out this morning. During a speech before the European Council in October 2022, Volodymyr Zelensky already mentioned the “large-scale disaster” what the destruction of the Nova Kakhovk hydroelectric dam would represent. “The dam contains about 18 million cubic meters of water. If Russian terrorists blow up this dam, more than 80 settlements, including Kherson, will be in the zone of rapid flooding. Hundreds, hundreds of thousands of people could be affected”he detailed.
07:58 : A few months ago, the demolition of this dam had been modelled. On his blog (in English), a Swedish researcher explained that it would take 19 hours for the water to reach Kherson (so in the evening). The large southern city is located 85 km downstream from the infrastructure.
07:27 : kyiv accuses Moscow of having bombed the infrastructure located in the areas controlled by Russia in the Ukrainian region of Kherson. “People’s safety is a priority today”writes on Telegram Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian presidential administration.
07:20 : Volodymyr Zelensky convenes his security council after the explosion at the Nova Kakhovka hydroelectric dam last night.
06:58 : For his part, the head of the administration of the urban district of Novokakhovka accuses the Ukrainian armed forces of being behind this bombardment. According to Vladimir Leontiev, the Russian mayor of this occupied city, the attack on the dam is “a serious terrorist attack”report the Russian media TASS and the agency RIA Novosti.
08:07 : In a videothe Governor of Kherson Oblast announces that the evacuation of residents who are “in danger” along the Dnieper River had begun. “I ask you to gather your things and wait for the buses to evacuate, explains Oleksandr Prokudin. The water will reach its critical level in 5 hours.”
08:08 : The Ukrainian authorities claim this morning that Moscow has blown up the dam at the Nova Kakhovka hydroelectric power station. Images filmed by a drone relayed on Twittershow an impressive flow of water rushing into a gaping hole.
06:38 : Part of the Nova Kakhovka dam near Kherson was destroyed overnight, reports the Southern Operational Command of Ukraine.
06:23 : On Thursday, the Russian army had first claimed to have foiled three attacks on its border, mobilizing its air force and artillery to eliminate “more than 50 terrorists”. The militiamen had for their part certified that they had succeeded in entering Chebekino, a town of 40,000 inhabitants, but the videos published do not confirm this version.
06:19 : The confusion is total in the Russian region of Belgorod, and more precisely on the border with Ukraine. For several days, Russian fighters favorable to the Ukrainian camp have claimed an armed raid in several localities, after crossing the border. These intensive bombardments led thousands of inhabitants to flee towards the regional capital. We explain to you what actually happens.
(OLGA MALTSEVA / AFP)