Nova Kakhovka dam live. Ukraine blames Russia and Vladimir Putin for the reservoir attack

Ukraine’s lawyers told the UN’s top court on Tuesday that Russia has funded a “campaign of terror and terror” by rebels in eastern Ukraine since 2014 and tried to replace Crimea’s multi-ethnic community with “discriminatory Russian nationalism” after its occupation and annexation. period.

The claims were made at the International Court of Justice in a case brought by Kiev against Russia over Moscow’s 2014 annexation of the Crimean peninsula and arming of rebels in eastern Ukraine ahead of a full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022.

Ukraine is demanding that the World Court compel Moscow to pay reparations for attacks and crimes in the region, including the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which was shot down by Russian-backed rebels on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 passengers and crew. :

The four-day hearing in the court’s ornate, wood-paneled Great Hall of Justice opened against the backdrop of Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.

Ukraine and Russia were blamed for the damage to the Kakhovka dam and hydroelectric plant, which are located in a part of Ukraine controlled by Moscow.

Footage shows a house floating down the Dnieper River after a major dam near Kherson collapsed.

Ukraine accuses Russia of blowing up the structure of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, and Moscow blames Kiev.

“Russian terrorists. The destruction of the barrier only confirms to the whole world that they must be expelled from every corner of the Ukrainian land,” tweeted Vladimir Zelensky on Tuesday, June 6.

The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, said on Tuesday that fighting in Ukraine had increased, but he cautioned against reading too much into each day.

“There is activity in Russian-occupied Ukraine and the fighting has picked up a bit,” General Milley said.

He said Ukraine had yet to announce whether its counteroffensive campaign had officially begun, but he said Ukrainians were ready for this fight. Time passes, however, he said, the battles will be different.

Like the Battle of Normandy or any other great battle, war is give and take,” General Milley said.

“There will be days where you’ll see a lot of activity and there will be days where you might see very little activity. There will be offensive actions and defensive actions. So it’s going to be a back-and-forth battle for quite some time.”

Milli spoke as fighting escalated and Ukraine reported the collapse of a barrier in southern Ukraine, which both sides blamed on the other.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz blamed Russia for Tuesday’s attack on the Kakhovka dam in Ukraine, saying the long-feared move represents a new dimension in the conflict.

“In any case, this is an aggression of the Russian side to stop the Ukrainian attack, to protect its own country. This shows that this is a new dimension,” Scholz said at a town hall organized by broadcaster RTL.

Scholz said he intends to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin again, although he hasn’t done so in a long time and now is not the right time.

The United States is “very concerned” after a Russian-controlled dam in Ukraine reportedly exploded and is trying to learn more about the potential impact, a Biden administration official said Tuesday.

Justin Trudeau is also reported to be wary, saying it would be “absolutely devastating to lives and livelihoods across the region.”

The Prime Minister of Canada added:[It] It was another example of the terrible consequences of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.”

Destroying the barrier may make strategic sense for Moscow to block the movement of Ukrainian troops, but it comes at a terrible cost, writes Kim Sengupta.

Read his review here.

A viral video has gone viral showing entire houses floating along the Dnieper River that were flooded by the flood.

The clip has been verified by the BBC.

Mykhailo Podoliak, a top adviser to President Zelenksy, warned of a “global ecological disaster” that would affect global food security after a major dam collapsed in southern Ukraine on Tuesday morning, releasing water from one of Europe’s largest reservoirs on dozens of towns. and villages.

Ukraine has accused Russia of blowing up the dam, which it says is a war crime and puts thousands of lives at risk. The Kremlin has strongly denied accusations that Kiev targeted its own infrastructure to deflect what it claims was a “failed counter-offensive”.

Mr. Podoliak said The Independent that millions of cubic meters of water, which had already partially submerged several areas and killed thousands of animals, would reach Nikolaev, an area some 90 km away, in a few days, causing devastation.

The crisis was compounded by the fact that at least 150 tons of crude oil from the plant had already entered the Dnieper River, and there was a risk of more than 300 tons leaking.

“There is no doubt that this will lead to far-reaching environmental, economic and human consequences. And the results of such a war crime are equivalent to the use of unconventional weapons,” he said.

“Instant death of large numbers of fish and animals, drainage of water [agricultural] soils and the change in the climate regime of the region will further affect the food security of the world.

Mr Podoliak said the loss of the reservoir would mean Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, the Zaporizhia plant, would gradually run out of cooling water.

“There will be a one-time reduction of water in the huge reservoir [also] lead to unpredictable ecological consequences.

“We already know about mass animal deaths, particularly at the local zoo,” he added.

He said he believed Russia’s intention was to “create obstacles for offensive operations by the Armed Forces,” echoing earlier statements by Ukraine’s Southern Command, which said Russia blew up the dam to halt a Ukrainian advance across the Dnieper River. .

“This once again confirms that the Kremlin is not thinking strategically, but in terms of short-term situational advantages,” added Mr. Podoliak.

The wall of a major dam in southern Ukraine collapsed on Tuesday, causing flooding, endangering Europe’s largest nuclear power plant and threatening drinking water supplies, as both sides in the war scrambled to evacuate residents and blamed each other for the destruction.

Ukraine has accused Russian forces of blowing up the Kakhovka dam on the Dnieper River and a hydroelectric plant in territory controlled by Moscow, while Russian officials blame Ukrainian shelling in the disputed territory.

The requirements could not be verified.

The potentially far-reaching environmental and social consequences of the disaster quickly became apparent as homes, streets and businesses flooded downstream and emergency crews began evacuations; officials rushed to inspect cooling systems at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant; and authorities have expressed concern about drinking water supplies to southern Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.

The authorities of both Russia and Ukraine brought trains and buses for the residents. About 22,000 people live in areas at risk of flooding in Russian-controlled territory, while 16,000 live in the most critical zone of Ukrainian-controlled territory, according to official figures.

Neither side reported casualties or injuries.

The breach added a startling new dimension to Russia’s war in Ukraine, now in its 16th month. Ukrainian forces were believed to be advancing in a long-awaited counteroffensive along more than 1,000 km (621 miles) of frontline to the east and south. It was not immediately clear whether either side is benefiting from the dam damage. , as both Russian-controlled and Ukrainian-controlled lands are at risk.

The damage could also hamper Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the south and distract its government, while Russia depends on the dam to supply Crimea with water. Although officials in Kiev have claimed that Russia blew up the dam to prevent a counterattack, observers say the crossing of the wide Dnieper will be. too difficult for the Ukrainian military. Other areas of the front line are more likely avenues of attack, analysts say.