Russian President Vladimir Putin called the explosion at the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine a “barbaric act” during a phone call with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on Wednesday.
In conversation with the Turkish leader, Putin denounced that the alleged attack caused “a major environmental and humanitarian catastrophe” in the annexed Ukrainian region of Kherson, the Kremlin (Russian presidency) said in a statement.
On September 30, 2022, Russia declared the annexation of the Ukrainian regions of Kherson, Zaporijia, Donetsk and Lugansk.
The Russian head of state also stressed that Kiev, with the support of Western allies, “continues to bet dangerously on the escalation of military action”.
“They commit war crimes, openly use terrorist methods and organize subversive actions on Russian soil”added Putin, quoted in the same briefing note.
As part of the call, Ankara reported that this Wednesday Erdogan proposed to his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts to set up an international commission of inquiry following the destruction of the Kakhovka dam.
In a telephone conversation with Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Zelensky, “President Erdogan stated that a commission could be established with the participation of experts from the belligerents, the United Nations and the international community, including Turkey”announced the Turkish Presidency in a statement.
This committee would have the task of a ‘In-depth investigation into destruction of Kakhovka dam’needed Ankara.
Zelensky also indicated that he had spoken with Erdogan this Wednesday about “the humanitarian and environmental consequences” of the flooding caused in the south of Ukrainian territory by the destruction of the dam.
“We discussed the humanitarian and environmental consequences of the Russian terrorist act against the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, including the risks to the Zaporijia Nuclear Power Plant”wrote Zelensky on the social network Twitter, adding “to have presented to the Turkish counterpart a list of urgent needs to deal with the catastrophe”.
Erdogan then spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin and told him he wanted the international investigation to “dispel all suspicions,” the Turkish presidency said in a second statement.
Moscow and Kiev deny responsibility for the attack on the dam that supplies water to Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014, which is headed for Ukrainian troops to retake occupied territories.
The destruction of the dam caused an abrupt fall of water flows into the flow of the Dnieper River, forcing several thousand people to leave the flooded areas and raising fears of ecological catastrophe.
The Russian military offensive on Ukrainian territory, launched on February 24 last year, plunged Europe into what is considered the most serious security crisis since World War II (1939-1945).
Source: DN
