KHERSON, Ukraine (AP) – Russian forces on Thursday shelled a southern Ukrainian town flooded in a catastrophic dam collapse, Ukrainian officials said, forcing a halt to some rescue work after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to the area to assess the damage .
At least five people have died, many are homeless and tens of thousands are left without drinking water after the Kachowka Dam was destroyed. Ukraine accused Russia of blowing up the facility, which was controlled by Moscow forces, while Russia claimed Ukraine bombed it.
The resulting flooding has destroyed crops, displaced landmines, caused widespread environmental damage and set the stage for long-term power outages. Exclusive drone footage captured by The Associated Press showed the destroyed dam, which collapsed into the flooded river, as well as hundreds of flooded homes, greenhouses and even a church.
In the early afternoon in the city of Kherson, the largest affected community, repeated Russian shelling echoed near a square where emergency responders and volunteers were providing assistance. According to Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, some evacuation points in the city were hit, injuring eight people.
When shells fell in the floodwater, rescue workers temporarily halted their efforts to rescue stranded residents and pets in an area Zelenskyy had visited just hours earlier.
“The strikes began during the evacuation of residents whose homes were flooded,” the ministry said. “Russia left the people in the occupied part of the Kherson region in need. It continues to prevent Ukraine from saving what is most valuable – human lives.”
The dam was on the Dnieper River, a major waterway that is part of the front line between Russian and Ukrainian forces.
In recent weeks, Ukraine has intensified shelling of Russian positions, suggesting that the long-awaited counter-offensive may finally begin. Kiev has been silent about starting such a campaign.
Amidst the fighting, both sides struggled with the aftermath of the dam collapse. On Thursday, Ukrainian rescue workers stepped up efforts to provide drinking water, medical supplies and other support to beleaguered residents.
Zelenskyy traveled to Kherson to see the effort firsthand. He visited an aid distribution center and a medical facility and urged Ukrainian officials to make a “fair assessment” of the devastation to compensate residents, his office said in an online update.
Russian President Vladimir Putin “currently has no plans” to visit the affected areas occupied by Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.
Five residents of the Russian-occupied town of Nowa Kakhovka have died, the Kremlin-appointed mayor said on Thursday. Vladimir Leontiev said on Russian state television that two other missing people had also been found.
The collapse of the Kachowka Dam and the draining of its reservoir on the river have compounded the misery the region has been suffering from artillery and missile attacks for more than a year. According to the United Nations and local authorities, access to fresh water and avoiding contact with water contaminated by explosives and chemicals from industrial sites were among the most pressing concerns.
According to official figures, more than 6,000 people have been evacuated from dozens of flooded towns and villages on both sides of the river. The true extent of the disaster is yet to be seen in an affected area that has been home to more than 60,000 people.
In the areas they administer, nearly two dozen people have been hospitalized, 4,280 people have been evacuated and about 14,000 buildings have been flooded, according to authorities deployed by Russia.
Russian officials say the destruction of the dam, which created a vast reservoir of water for irrigation and drinking water, will eventually shut down freshwater supplies to Russian-controlled Crimea, though the peninsula, with its 80 reservoirs, has enough freshwater for now to be % full.
Following Moscow’s illegal annexation of the peninsula in 2014, Ukrainian authorities cut off fresh water supplies to Crimea, and Russian President Vladimir Putin cited the need for restoration as the main reason behind his decision to invade Ukraine.
Regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said the average height of flooding in the region was more than 5.6 meters (18 ft) as of Thursday morning and about 600 square kilometers (231 sq mi) of the region was inundated – more than two-thirds of it on the Russian island – controlled east bank.
“People are tired … (they) have no desire to flee to other regions of Ukraine,” Prokudin said.
French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that the dam’s destruction was an “assault” and a “cruel act” without saying who was responsible. Paris said it is providing relief supplies such as water purifiers, 500,000 water purification tablets and hygiene kits to help people displaced by the disaster.
Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of intentionally destroying the dam. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a key Putin ally, backed Russia’s claim that Ukraine blew up the dam to distract from Ukraine’s alleged failed attempt to launch a counteroffensive.
The Ukrainian authorities have remained largely silent about recent developments on the battlefield as reports mount of intensified fighting that could lead to the long-awaited counter-offensive.
In the eastern region of Donbass, the battle for Bakhmut continued, with Ukrainian troops advancing on the flanks of the city, which was devastated in months of fighting – one of the epicenters of the war. Ukraine’s 3rd Separate Assault Brigade said in a Telegram post on Thursday that Ukrainian forces had advanced 1.2 kilometers.
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Keaten reported from Kyiv, Ukraine. Joanna Kozlowska in London and Hanna Arhirova in Warsaw, Poland contributed to this report.
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