2023-06-09 06:49:00
Three days following the dam collapse, the entire Seoul area was flooded
Shelling of civilians fleeing floodwaters
Zelensky: Russian anthrax to the Black Sea
Dam site taken by drone, “no missile traces”
Ukrainian soldiers and paramedics help a disabled resident get off a boat in an area affected by flooding caused by the collapse of the Kahouka Dam on July 8 (local time). Due to the explosion of a dam of unknown cause on the 6th, 600 km2 of the Dnipro River was submerged in water. This is the size of the entire city of Seoul. AFP Yonhap News
Ukraine and Russia, which had been responsible for the collapse of the Kahouka Dam in the southern Ukrainian province of Kherson, are now engaged in a battle, claiming that each other blocked rescue efforts and opened fire on residents in evacuations. Residents are said to be struggling to evacuate due to continued shelling even in the midst of the disaster.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a speech on the night of the 8th, criticized the Russian military for continuing attacks on flooded areas around Kherson, including civilian evacuation points. “This is a symptom of evil that no terrorist in the world has ever done, except Russia,” Zelensky said. President Zelensky said the day before that Russian forces had opened fire on Ukrainian rescuers helping to evacuate people.
According to Ukrainian authorities, nine people, including paramedics, police, doctors and German volunteers, were injured in an attack by Russian forces near Koravela Square in Kherson Province, where they were distributing aid to victims. The foreign press reported that the place where the bombardment occurred was the place that President Zelensky had visited just a few hours ago to encourage the residents of the flood-stricken area.
The British Guardian reported that the Russian military was blocking access to civilian aid organizations trying to rescue residents of Russian-controlled areas.
On the other hand, Russia countered that Ukrainian forces were attacking Russian-controlled areas and delaying the evacuation of residents. The Dnipro River, where the destroyed Kahuoka Dam is located, is controlled by Ukrainian forces in the west and Russian forces in the east.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “Russian rescuers are conducting rescue operations in the flooded area, but they are suffering from artillery fire from Ukrainian forces.” Russian authorities said a civilian evacuation area east of the river was shelled by Ukrainian forces, killing two civilians, including a 33-year-old pregnant woman.
Inundation in the area of Seoul on the third day of the dam collapse… “Anthrax possessed by the Russian army, along the river to the Black Sea”
According to Ukrainian and Russian authorities, as of the 8th, the third day following the dam collapsed, regarding 6,000 residents had been evacuated. Oleksandr Prokudin, head of Ukraine’s military administration in Kherson, said the average water level in the flood-affected Kherson area was 5.61 m, with more than 600 square kilometers submerged. This is the size of the entire city of Seoul. 68% of the flooded area is east of the Dnipro River, which is occupied by Russia.
Environmental and health concerns from flooding are also growing. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on the same day that it is strengthening surveillance in the affected area as the risk of spreading waterborne infectious diseases such as cholera is increasing.
The International Committee of the Red Cross warned that the mines buried in the Dnipro River basin due to the collapse of the dam are likely to have been lost to populated areas downstream of the river, and the resulting risk might affect civilians for decades to come. The mapping system, which previously identified the location of mines, was completely disrupted by this flood, making it impossible to locate anti-personnel mines as well as anti-tank mines.
As anthrax deposits in Russian-occupied territories were swept away by floods, there were warnings that anthrax-contaminated water might flow into the Black Sea. “There are at least two anthrax deposits in areas temporarily occupied by Russia, and we do not yet know what is going on there,” Zelensky said in an online chat with environmental activists that day.
Meanwhile, an aerial photo of the dam destruction site, which was difficult to access due to flooding, was released. The Associated Press released a photo taken by a drone the day before, the second day following the dam collapsed. The Associated Press reported that although most of the dam structures were destroyed and only their shapes were recognizable, no typical signs of a missile attack, such as scorch marks or debris, were found on the structures.
The site of the collapse of the Kahouka Dam captured by the Associated Press on the 7th (local time) with a drone. The Associated Press said that although it was destroyed to such an extent that it was difficult to recognize its shape, there were no signs of a missile attack. AP Yonhap News
Russia has been claiming that Ukrainian forces attacked the Kahouka Dam with missiles in order to cut off the water supply to the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula. Ukraine, on the other hand, has argued that Russia blew up the dam structure from within.
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