18-6-2023 (KYIV) The death toll continues to climb in the aftermath of the devastating flooding caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in Ukraine. Kyiv officials confirmed that the number of casualties has now reached 16, while Russian officials reported 29 fatalities in the territories controlled by Moscow.
The breach of the Kakhovka Dam on June 6 unleashed a deluge of floodwaters, engulfing vast stretches of land in southern Ukraine and the Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine. The catastrophic event resulted in the destruction of farmland and severed vital supply routes for civilians.
In response to the crisis, over 3,600 individuals have been evacuated from the flood-affected areas in the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions. However, the search for 31 missing persons is still underway, and approximately 1,300 houses remain submerged, according to Ukraine’s interior ministry’s latest update on its Telegram channel.
Andrei Alekseyenko, the chairman of the Russian-installed administration in the Moscow-occupied parts of the Kherson region, communicated through the Telegram messaging app, stating that the death toll has now tragically risen to 29 individuals.
Ukraine has squarely accused Russia of deliberately causing the explosion that led to the collapse of the Soviet-era dam, which has been under Russian control since the early days of their invasion in 2022.
A team of international legal experts, supporting Ukraine’s prosecutors in their investigation, recently released preliminary findings that indicate it is “highly likely” the dam’s collapse in the Kherson region was a result of explosives planted by Russian forces.
In response, the Kremlin has levied accusations against Kyiv, alleging sabotage of the hydroelectric dam. According to Moscow, the act was an attempt by Ukraine to sever a vital water source for Crimea and divert attention from their perceived “faltering” counter-offensive against Russian forces.
