European Union (EU) diplomacy chief Josep Borrel said this Friday that “everything indicates” that Russia is behind the Kakhovka dam rupture, while Moscow and Kiev continue to accuse each other.
The dam was destroyed on Tuesday, forcing thousands to flee their homes as water rose in the Dnieper River, flooding dozens of villages and parts of the city of Kherson, raising concerns of a humanitarian disaster.
“The dam was not bombed. It was destroyed by explosives placed in the areas where the turbines are located. This area is under Russian control,” Borrell told Spain’s public television.
“I wasn’t there to find out who did this. But everything indicates that if it happened in an area under Russian control, it’s hard to believe it was other people,” he added. “Anyway, The consequences for Ukraine are terrible, from a humanitarian point of view for the displaced, and from an environmental point of view because the destruction (of the dam) will cause an ecological disaster,” he said.
At least five people have died and 13 are missing in flooding after the collapse, Ukrainian Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said on Friday. .
About 600 km² has been flooded in the area, which is partly occupied by Russia.
Source: DN
