Dam destruction and pipeline attack: Developments in Russia-Ukraine situation

China News Agency, Beijing, June 8th. Comprehensive news: After the dam of the Kakhovka Hydropower Station was damaged on the 6th, Russia and Ukraine have reported the damage in recent days. Russian and Ukrainian officials said separately on the 7th that the Togliatti-Odessa liquid ammonia pipeline in Kharkiv region was attacked.

Kakhovka Hydropower Dam Damaged Causes Heavy Losses

The dam of the Kakhovka Hydropower Station was damaged on the 6th local time and caused floods. Russia’s TASS news agency reported on the 8th, citing sources from the medical service department, that 23 people were injured in the Kherson area due to damage to the dam and flooding.

According to a previous report by the TASS news agency, local emergency service personnel in the Kherson area stated on the 7th that the flood caused about 2,700 houses in the area to be submerged. There are 22,000 people living in the relevant area, and nearly 1,300 people have been evacuated.

According to the website of the Ukrainian President, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the 7th that more than 2,000 people have been rescued in the Kherson and Nikolayev regions, and the specific number of casualties cannot be determined for the time being.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Energy reported on its official website on the 7th that as of the same day, floods had submerged 129 substations in the Kherson region and 2 solar power plants in the Nikolayev region, and nearly 20,000 people were affected by power outages.

The Ministry of Agricultural Policy and Food of Ukraine issued a statement on its official website on the 6th, stating that it is estimated that the damage to the hydropower dam will cause about 10,000 hectares of farmland on the right bank of the Kherson region to be flooded; Dnepropetrovsk, Kherson and Zappo The water supply to 31 field irrigation systems in the Rozhia region has been cut off, further causing fields in southern Ukraine to turn into deserts as early as next year; a large number of fish deaths have impacted the development of fisheries in related areas.

Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline attacked

According to the TASS news agency, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported on the 7th that the Togliatti-Odessa liquid ammonia pipeline in Kharkiv region was damaged by a Ukrainian reconnaissance team on the 5th, and civilians were injured.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zakharova said on the 7th that it will take one to three months to repair the damaged liquid ammonia pipeline, and Russia will investigate the incident.

According to a Reuters report, Sinegubov, the military administrator of the Kharkiv region of Ukraine, said through social media on the 7th that multiple Russian artillery shells fell into the Togliatti-Ok district of the Kupyansk district in the northeastern part of the state on the 6th. A pumping station on the Desa liquid ammonia pipeline section.

The pipeline used to be a liquid ammonia pipeline for Russia to export through Ukraine, transporting about 2.5 million tons of ammonia every year.

Putin calls damaging dam ‘barbaric act’

According to the Russian Satellite News Agency, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had a phone call on the 7th to exchange views on the situation in Ukraine.

Putin said that the Ukrainian government openly used “terrorist methods” under the instigation of the West to “organize sabotage activities” on Russian territory in an attempt to “escalate the situation.” “The destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam unleashed a massive environmental and humanitarian catastrophe. This barbaric act is a typical example.”

Erdogan emphasized the importance of a comprehensive investigation into the incident at the Kakhovka hydropower dam, and proposed the establishment of an international investigative committee, including members from the United Nations, Russia, Ukraine and Turkey.

Zelensky speaks to Turkish, French presidents

According to the Ukrainian state news agency, Zelensky had a phone conversation with Erdogan on the 7th, discussing the destruction of the Kakhovka hydropower dam, the risks faced by the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, the extension of the agreement on the export of agricultural products from the Black Sea port, and the release of Ukraine. captives etc.

Erdogan informed Zelenskiy of the proposal to set up an international commission of inquiry into the sabotage of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam. Erdogan also said that as long as the conflict continues, there will inevitably be losses and “the idea of ​​restarting negotiations should dominate.”

Zelensky also had a call with French President Emmanuel Macron on the same day to discuss issues such as the destruction of the Kakhovka hydropower dam.