In the regional capital of Kherson, the flood level on Thursday morning was 5.61 meters, as announced by Prokudin. Prokudin described the situation in the flood-affected areas as “extremely difficult”. Despite the danger from the water bodies and heavy Russian bombardment, the evacuation of the flooded area continued. But many people didn’t want to leave the area, Produkin said.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to the flooded region. In the Kherson region, among other things, he had an idea of the ongoing evacuations, Zelenskyy said Thursday through his official Telegram channel. He also released a video showing him with residents, first responders and soldiers. You can also see houses, of which only the tip of the roof protrudes from the bodies of water.
Portal Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the flooded region
RIA: Five dead
According to the Civil Protection Service of Ukraine, 1,995 people were evacuated from the flooded areas, including 103 children. On the Ukrainian-controlled side of the river, “a total of 20 towns and 2,629 houses” were flooded. Floods also flooded parts of the regional capital of Kherson. More than 14,000 houses were flooded, Russian state news agency TASS reports, citing Russian security services.
Portal Flooded houses in Nowa Kachowka
According to authorities, five people died after the dam collapsed in the nearby town of Nowa Kachowka. This is reported by the Russian state news agency RIA, citing the mayor of the city, which is controlled by Russia.
Kyiv: Russia had to accept losses
According to the military in Kiev and US experts, Russian troops suffered losses as a result of the destruction of the Kakhovka dam. The occupants were not prepared for the consequences of the dam explosion and therefore lost soldiers, equipment and military technology, the General Staff in Kiev said on Thursday. There are dead, wounded and missing Russian soldiers.
Experts from the US Institute of War Studies (ISW) also found that flooding from the reservoir destroyed Russian frontline defenses. There is no information from Russia about this.
Water continues to flow freely from the reservoir
The water masses continue to flow out of the reservoir. The water level in the lake has dropped by one meter in 24 hours and was 13.05 meters on Thursday morning (07:00 CEST), the state operator of the Ukrhydroenergo hydropower plant in Kiev said. Meanwhile, masonry is suffering increasing damage. Water is flowing freely through the broken dam.
Together with state-owned energy provider Ukrenerho, measures are now being explored to reduce the negative consequences of damage to the Kachowka hydroelectric plant, the group said. For example, the operation of other hydropower plants and dams upstream of the destroyed plant on the Dnipro River must be changed to impound more water in front of the Kakhovka station and reduce pressure and flooding in the south of the country.
World Bank wants to deliver assessment quickly
The Kachowka dam on the Dnipro River, in Russian-occupied territory, was partially destroyed by an explosion on Tuesday night. The World Bank, for its part, says it wants to help Ukraine with a rapid assessment of flood damage and needs. The destruction of the dam has “many very serious consequences for the delivery of essential services and for the wider environment,” Anna Bjerde, director of operations at the World Bank, wrote on Twitter.
AP/Libkos The city of Kherson is under water
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal also tweeted that Bjerde had assured him that the World Bank would carry out a rapid assessment of damages and needs.
Red Cross warns of mines being washed
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) noted the catastrophic impact on the location of landmines following the partial destruction of the dam. “We knew where the dangers lay,” said Erik Tollefsen, head of the ICRC’s Weapons Contamination Unit, on Wednesday. “Now we don’t know anymore. All we know is that they are somewhere downriver.”
This is very worrying, both for the affected population and “for all those who come to help”. Tollefsen commented on the presentation of a drone developed with the aid of artificial intelligence (AI). This can locate mines and explosive debris because of the heat they give off. One day it could be used in Ukraine.
Portal employees are taken to a secure location
For several months, the ICRC has assisted with mine clearance operations in Ukraine, mapping and marking minefields and providing training and equipment. “Now all that has been washed away,” he said. Antipersonnel mines and antitank mines like the TM-57 are now distributed in unknown locations.
Zelenskyy criticizes aid organizations
Zelenskyy, however, criticized international aid organizations for their supposed passivity after the flood disaster caused by the dam explosion. “Each person killed is a judgment call for the existing international architecture, for international organizations that have forgotten how to save lives,” he said in his video diary late on Wednesday. He did not say how many Ukrainians died in the floods.
Portal Flooded houses in Nowa Kachowka
Instead, he spoke of 2,000 people who were rescued in the Ukrainian part of the Kherson region, which was particularly hard hit by the floods. However, the situation is difficult in the Russian-occupied part of the area. Zelenskyy accused Russian troops of abandoning people there and torpedoing Ukrainian rescue attempts. In this context, he criticized international aid organizations such as the Red Cross, which he considers should be more active in this region.
On the other hand, he thanked the bilateral commitments of foreign aid. He called French President Emmanuel Macron and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and discussed concrete offers of help, he said.
Countries and organizations provide help
However, aid organizations are apparently active in the region. Doctors Without Borders wrote in a broadcast on Wednesday that medical and psychological help is being provided in the area around the town of Kherson for people being evacuated to safety. Hygiene products are distributed and the region’s needs continue to be identified.
Austria, Germany and Lithuania are providing assistance through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Countries would send water tanks, pumps, camp beds and emergency shelters to Ukraine, a European Commission spokesman said on Wednesday. “We continue to mobilize aid,” European Commission spokesman Balazs Ujvari wrote on Twitter.
At the same time, the EU Humanitarian Office in Ukraine is coordinating with its partners to provide rapid assistance to people affected by the floods. Food and drinking water will also be provided.
Cause still unclear
Ukraine and Russia continue to blame each other for Tuesday’s Kakhovka dam explosion. ISW experts in Washington, given the evidence and arguments, believe that Russia intentionally destroyed the dam. At the same time, they pointed out that a definitive assessment of responsibility is currently not possible.