Russian sabotage at Ukraine's dam threatens major flood, mass evacuation underway
Up to 80 settlements are under threat of flooding in southern Ukraine
Due to the Russian sabotage of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) located in the Kherson region, in southern Ukraine, up to 80 settlements are under threat of flooding. The government is conducting an evacuation, as Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal wrote on Telegram.
As he wrote, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the National Security and Defense Council, after which a meeting of the State Commission on Technogenic and Environmental Safety and Emergencies will take place.
"We are conducting the evacuation of residents in flood-affected areas. Currently, evacuation measures are being carried out from the Ostrov district in Kherson. Evacuation trains to Mykolaiv have been formed," he wrote.
Shmyhal also wrote that authorities are estimating the environmental impact and threat to the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant, but due to the lack of access to the power plant, it is complicated.
Ukrainian Railways has announced that it is assisting local authorities in evacuating residents of Kherson and surrounding villages. "The first evacuation train will leave from Kherson at 12 am. If necessary, additional evacuation trains will be scheduled," the statement said.
In addition, the mayor of Lviv, Andrii Sadovyi, wrote that in connection with the sabotage of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station, they are assembling an evacuation committee in Lviv. "We already know about the planned evacuation of local residents. We must be ready," he wrote on Facebook.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, as of 10 am on June 6, 742 people have already been evacuated.
"The water is rising. The situation is complicated by the fact that some roads are being washed away. This makes it impossible to access some populated areas. The evacuation teams are looking for other ways," the Ministry of Internal Affairs said. The department also reported that about 80 populated areas are in the potential flood zone, and most of them are temporarily occupied by Russians.
Russian troops blew up the Kakhovka HPP at night, on June 6. As "Ukrhydroenergo" (Ukraine's main hydropower generating company) reported, the station is completely destroyed and cannot be restored. Due to the Russian sabotage, 16 thousand people in the critical zone on the right bank of the Dnipro River are in danger.
