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Ukraine-Russia news – live: Putin’s troops ‘swept away’ in flooding from dam collapse, says Kyiv
Ukrainian troops have witnessed Russian soldiers being swept up in flood waters after the Nova Khakovka dam burst, a military officer in Ukraine’s armed forces said, adding that many Russian troops were killed or injured in the aftermath of the dam collapse.
Many Russian soldiers were also seen fleeing the east bank of the Dnipro River, Capt Andrei Pidlisnyi told CNN.
“No one on the Russian side was able to get away. All the regiments the Russians had on that side were flooded,” the armed forces officer told CNN.
It is likely that Russia deliberately attacked the dam to interfere with Ukraine’s plans for the upcoming offensive, he said.
Nearly 42,000 people remain at severe risk from flooding in Russian and Ukrainian controlled areas along the Dnipro River after the Soviet-era Nova Kakhovka dam collapsed, as the United Nations aid chief warned of “grave and far-reaching consequences.”
Ukrainian officials estimated about 42,000 people were at risk from the flooding, which is expected to peak today.
Key Points
Russian soldiers swept away in flood waters, says Ukrainian officer
Ukrainian authorities ask residents in flood-prone areas to evacuate
Fears of dangerous flooding as Ukrainian dam destroyed
Eighty settlements near the destroyed Kakhovka dam may be affected
Ukraine launches attacks across frontline
Russia claims it destroyed 28 tanks and 109 armoured vehicles in Donetsk fighting
Ukrainian forces advance on eastern front, defence ministry says
Russian soldiers swept away in flood waters, says Ukrainian officer
04:47 , Arpan Rai
A military officer in Ukraine’s armed forces said that Ukrainian troops witnessed Russian soldiers being swept up in flood waters after the Nova Khakovka dam burst. Many Russian soldiers were also seen fleeing the east bank of the Dnipro River, Capt Andrei Pidlisnyi told CNN.
The officer said many Russian troops were killed or injured in the aftermath of the dam collapse.
“No one on the Russian side was able to get away. All the regiments the Russians had on that side were flooded,” the armed forces officer told CNN.
It is likely that Russia deliberately attacked the dam to interfere with Ukraine’s plans for the upcoming offensive, he said.
The Russians blew up the hydro power plant to “raise the water level to flood the approaches and the left bank of the Dnipro river, as well as the settlements located there”, he said.
This was also done to “make it impossible” for the Ukrainian armed forces to advance in the region in the future, the official said.
Watch: Dog rescued from flooding in Kherson
09:35 , Matt Mathers
Further flooding expected as condition of dam ‘likely' deteriorates - MoD
09:20 , Matt Mathers
More flooding is expected on both sides of the Dnipro River in Ukraine as the condition of a dam destroyed yesterday “likely” deteriorates, Britain’s Ministry of Defence has said.
Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which sits 120km away from the dam, is highly unlikely to face immediate additional safety issues as a result of the dropping water levels in the reservoir, the MoD added.
“The Russian-controlled Kakhovka dam partially failed just before 0300hrs local time on 06 June 2023m,” the MoD said in a tweet. “By 1200hrs, the entire eastern portion of the dam and much of the hydro and utilities infrastructure was swept away.”
Zelensky: Dam destruction ‘biggest ecocide crime in decades’
09:05 , Matt Mathers
The destruction of a damn in Ukraine was the biggest “crime of ecocide” in the country for “decades”, Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
The Ukraine president, in his latest overnight address, accused Russia of blowing up the hydroelectric power plant and dam in Kakhovka.
“To destroy it, Russian forces had to act deliberately – mine, blow up, destroy,” said.
The Kremlin has denied blowing up the dam, in Russian-occupied territory. and claims Ukraine was responsible.
How UK papers reacted to ‘Russia’s blowing up of dam’
08:45 , Matt Mathers
Several UK-based newspapers splashed on the dam disaster in Ukraine, which Kyiv said was caused by a Russia explosion.
The Guardian and Financial Times focused on the environmental impact of the flood, while the Telegraph described the attack as a “new low” in Russia’s war campaign.
More coverage below:
Waters continue to swell in southern Ukraine after dam destruction
08:22 , Matt Mathers
Residents in southern Ukraine are braced for a second day of swelling floodwaters as authorities warned that a Dnieper River dam breach would continue to unleash pent-up waters from a giant reservoir.
Officials said the waters are expected to rise following Tuesday’s dramatic rupture of the Kakhovka dam, about 44 miles to the east of the city of Kherson, but are not flowing with the same speed and intensity.
Ukraine has accused Russian forces of blowing up the dam and adjoining hydroelectric power station, which sits in an area Moscow has controlled for more than a year.
Russian officials blamed Ukrainian bombardment in the contested area, where the river separates the two sides.
Residents sloshed through knee-deep waters in their inundated homes as videos posted on social media showed rescue workers carrying people to safety, and an aerial video of waters filling the streets of Russian-controlled Nova Kakhovska on the eastern side of the river.
In Ukrainian-controlled areas on the western side, Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of Kherson Regional Military administration, said in a video that water levels are expected to rise by another 3ft over the next 20 hours.
"The intensity of floods is slightly decreasing; however, due to the significant destruction of the dam, the water will keep coming," he said.
Russian forces shell Ukraine’s Kherson region, one person dead - governor says
07:35 , Matt Mathers
Russian forces shelled the Ukrainian region of Kherson multiple times over the past day, the region’s governor said, with one person dying and one injured as a result of the attacks.
The shelling included the city of Kherson, the Ukrainian governor of the region, Oleksandr Prokudin, said on the Telegram messaging app.
Reuters could not independently verify the report. There was no further detail from Prokudin.
On Tuesday, the critical Nova Kakhovka dam in the Russian-controlled part of Kherson was destroyed, flooding large swaths of Kherson and forcing the evacuation of thousands.
Water level in Kakhovka reservoir was at record high before collapse, says UK MoD
07:16 , Arpan Rai
The Nova Kakhovka dam’s structure is likely to deteriorate further over the next few days, causing additional flooding, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.
“The Russian-controlled Kakhovka dam partially failed just before 0300hrs local time on 06 June 2023. By 1200hrs, the entire eastern portion of the dam and much of the hydro and utilities infrastructure was swept away,” the ministry said in its latest intelligence update.
It added that the water level in the Kakhovka Reservoir was at a record high before the collapse, resulting in a particularly high volume of water inundating the area downstream.
“Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which sits 120km away from the dam, is highly unlikely to face immediate additional safety issues as a result of the dropping water levels in the reservoir,” the MoD said.
Water in Nova Kakhovka starts declining, say Russia-installed officials
06:26 , Arpan Rai
Water levels in the city of Nova Kakhovka started to decline this morning after the destruction of the nearby dam, the Russian-installed administration of the city said on Telegram.
“The water level on the previously flooded streets of Nova Kakhovka began to subside,” the administration of the now Moscow-controlled city said.
Ukraine to open hearings in case against Russia at top UN court
06:00 , Joe Middleton
Hearings open Tuesday at the United Nations’ highest court in a case brought by Ukraine against Russia linked to Moscow‘s 2014 annexation of Crimea and arming of rebels in eastern Ukraine in the years before Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Kyiv wants the International Court of Justice to order Moscow to pay reparations for attacks in the regions, including for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 that was shot down by Russia-backed rebels on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 passengers and crew.
Four days of hearings in the court’s ornate, wood-paneled Great Hall of Justice are opening against a backdrop of Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II raging on in Ukraine. Ukraine on Tuesday accused Russian forces of blowing up a major dam and hydroelectric power station in a part of in a part of the country Moscow controls, threatening a massive flood.
Ukraine to open hearings in case against Russia at top UN court
Russia likely plotting to blow up nuclear power plant, says Kyiv
05:54 , Arpan Rai
Officials in Ukraine have accused Russia of planning to blow up the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant after destroying the Nova Kakhovka dam.
“The whole world” should be concerned by how reckless Moscow could be, said Oleksiy Danilov, president Zelensky’s top security official, terming the destruction of the hydroelectric power facility “a fundamentally new stage of Russian aggression”.
“It is a fact there are explosives [at the occupied Zaporizhzhia plant] . . . since Putin had the hydroelectric power plant blown up on his demand, he’s ready to do anything,” Mr Danilov told The Times after an emergency meeting of Ukraine’s national security council.
Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior aide to Zelensky, added that the “world once again finds itself on the brink of a nuclear disaster because the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant lost its source of cooling” from the dam’s destruction.
The Nova Kakhovka dam’s reservoir pumped water to the plant to cool the reactors, which have remained offline since the attack but still require constant cooling.
Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, under Russia’s control since the start of the full-scale invasion in February last year, is 90 miles upriver from the dam. It is Europe’s largest nuclear facility.
Extensive flooding as Nova Kakhovka dam largely destroyed, satellite images show
05:05 , Arpan Rai
Extensive flooding in southern Ukraine with the region’s Nova Kahkovka dam and hydroelectric station largely destroyed has been captured on satellite images taken yesterday afternoon by Maxar Technologies.
The critical dam, which lies along the Dnipro River in the parts of Ukraine‘s Kherson region now held by Russia, collapsed on Tuesday, flooding a swathe of the war zone along the frontline.
Maxar said the images of more than 2,500 square km (965 square miles) between Nova Kakhovka and the Dniprovska Gulf southwest of Kherson city on the Black Sea, showed numerous towns and villages flooded.
“The Nova Kakhovka dam and hydroelectric plant has been largely destroyed and few structures remain,” Maxar said in a statement.
Ukraine: Soviet-era dam destroyed near Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
05:00 , Joe Middleton
About 42,000 at risk as floods sweep Kherson a day after dam collapses
04:18 , Arpan Rai
Nearly 42,000 people remain at severe risk from flooding in Russian and Ukrainian controlled areas along the Dnipro River after the Soviet-era Nova Kakhovka dam collapsed, as the United Nations aid chief warned of “grave and far-reaching consequences.”
Ukrainian officials estimated about 42,000 people were at risk from the flooding, which is expected to peak today.
The dam breach “will have grave and far-reaching consequences for thousands of people in southern Ukraine on both sides of the front line through the loss of homes, food, safe water and livelihoods,” the UN aid chief Martin Griffiths told the Security Council.
Both nations have blamed each other for the collapse of the massive dam yesterday, which sent floodwaters across a swathe of the war zone and forced thousands to flee.
Russian court sets date for new trial of jailed Kremlin foe Navalny
04:00 , Joe Middleton
A Moscow court on Tuesday set the date for a new trial of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny that could keep him in prison for decades.
The Moscow City Court held a preliminary hearing behind closed doors to discuss technical issues related to the trial of the Kremlin‘s arch foe before it begins on June 19.
Navalny’s spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, said that the trial will be held at a maximum security prison 250 kilometers (150 miles) east of Moscow where Navalny is serving a nine-year sentence for fraud and contempt of court.
Russian court sets date for new trial of jailed Kremlin foe Navalny
Destruction of Ukraine dam a ‘new low’ if Russian forces responsible, Sunak says
03:48 , Arpan Rai
Destruction of the Kakhovka dam in Ukraine would mark a “new low” in the conflict if Russian forces were found to be responsible, prime minister Rishi Sunak has said.
Mr Sunak said the immediate priority was the humanitarian response to the catastrophe, which has flooded villages, endangered vital crops and threatened drinking water supplies.
Speaking to reporters as he travelled to Washington for talks with US president Joe Biden, the British PM said if it was an intentional act to blow up the dam it would be “the largest attack on civilian infrastructure” since the start of Vladimir Putin’s war.
Destruction of Ukraine dam a ‘new low’ if Russian forces are responsible, Sunak says
A dam bursts, but this barbaric attack will not halt Kyiv’s ‘big push’
03:00 , Joe Middleton
Ukrainians hope events on the battlefield might precipitate the change in Russia that removes Putin. Askold Krshelnycky meets the troops preparing to move out, and hears what they have planned
This barbaric dam attack will not halt Kyiv’s ‘big push’ | Askold Krushelnycky
Milley says fighting in Ukraine has increased and cautions it will continue for lengthy time
02:00 , Joe Middleton
US Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Mark Milley said Tuesday that fighting in Ukraine has increased, but he cautioned against reading too much into each day’s operations.
“There’s activity throughout Russian-occupied Ukraine and fighting has picked up a bit,” Milley said in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press at the American Cemetery in Normandy, France — the final resting place of almost 9,400 troops who died 79 years ago, during the allied June 6, 1944, D-Day invasion.
Milley said it was up to Ukraine to announce whether its counteroffensive campaign has formally begun, but he said the Ukrainians are ready for this fight. As time goes on, however, he said that the fighting will vary.
Milley says fighting in Ukraine has increased and cautions it will continue for lengthy time
He fled Ukraine under the barrel of a gun. Now his invention could turn the tide of Putin’s war
01:00 , Joe Middleton
Gene Avakyan knows what it’s like to grow up during times of tension, Robert Waugh writes
He fled Ukraine under the barrel of a gun. Now his invention could derail Putin’s war
NATO eastern flank members want to boost support for Ukraine at alliance summit in July
Tuesday 6 June 2023 23:59 , Joe Middleton
NATO allies should aim to further boost their support for Ukraine and for its aspiration to become a member of the alliance, the leaders of nine Central and Eastern European countries said Tuesday.
The presidents of an informal group known as the Bucharest Nine, the nations in the easternmost parts of the NATO alliance, met in Slovakia’s capital, Bratislava, to discuss their common approach at the NATO summit scheduled for July 11–13 in Vilnius, Lithuania.
“We aim for a more robust, multi-year, and comprehensive support package for Ukraine, which will reinforce its defence capabilities also by implementing NATO standards and increasing interoperability with NATO,” they said in a statement to conclude their meeting, which was also attended by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
NATO eastern flank members want to boost support for Ukraine at alliance summit in July
Ukraine war map reveals Europe’s largest nuclear power plant ‘threatened’ after dam attack
Tuesday 6 June 2023 23:00 , Joe Middleton
As Ukraine accuses Russia of decimating a major dam in the Moscow-seized area of Kherson, the country’s national energy company has warned of the risk to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
A video shared by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky early on Tuesday morning appeared to depict water gushing through the remains of the Soviet-era dam, built in 1956 on the Dnipro river. This footage remains unverified.
Map reveals Ukraine nuclear power plant ‘threatened’ after dam attack
House floats down Dnipro river after Kakhovka dam attack floods nearby town
Tuesday 6 June 2023 22:00 , Joe Middleton
Footage appears to show a house floating down the Dnipro river after a major dam near Kherson was destroyed.
Ukraine has accused Russia of blowing up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant structure, while Moscow has put the blame on Kyiv.
“Russian terrorists. The destruction of the dam only confirms for the whole world that they must be expelled from every corner of Ukrainian land,” Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted on Tuesday 6 June.
While it is unclear how extensive the flooding downstream will be, there are fears it could be devastating for settlements that are home to about 16,000 people.
The video of the house floating down the Dnipro river has been verified by the BBC, with more unverified footage circulating on social media.
House floats down Dnipro river after Kakhovka dam attack floods nearby town
Footage from Kherson shows heavy flooding after damn collapse
Tuesday 6 June 2023 21:45 , Joe Middleton
Ukraine says oil is flooding into Dnipro river after dam attack
Tuesday 6 June 2023 21:00 , Joe Middleton
Ukraine has claimed that 150 tons of machine oil has polluted the Dnipro river following the destruction of the Kakhovka dam.
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday accused Russian forces of blowing up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station from inside the facility and said Russia must be held to account for a “terrorist attack” that leaves settlements vulnerable to flooding.
“We are doing everything to save people,” he said on Telegram. So far, no civilian or military casualties have been reported.
Ukraine says oil is flooding into Dnipro river after dam attack
Deepfake Vladimir Putin declares martial law and says Russia is under attack
Tuesday 6 June 2023 20:00 , Joe Middleton
A deepfake of Vladimir Putin declared martial law and said Ukraine’s army had invaded Russia in footage aired on some of the country’s television channels and radio stations on Monday.
Authorities later said some TV channels and radio stations had been hacked because of which the deepfake was able to make its way to the national airwaves.
“Definitely there was no address. It is true that there were hacks in some regions,” the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
Deepfake Vladimir Putin declares martial law and says Russia is under attack
Defence contractor says Germany ordering 20 more fighting vehicles for Kyiv
Tuesday 6 June 2023 19:07 , Sam Rkaina
Germany has tasked arms maker Rheinmetall with supplying another batch of 20 Marder infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) to Ukraine over the coming months, the company said on Tuesday.
The contract has a volume in the “mid-double-digit” million-euro range, a spokesperson for Rheinmetall told reporters in Unterluess in Lower Saxony, where the company operates one of its biggest factories.
The 20 vehicles will come out of Rheinmetall’s stocks of old Marders and be restored over the coming months, he added, noting this would leave the company in the possession of 60 Marder IFVs that could still be refurbished.
The 20 Marders come on top of 40 vehicles that Berlin already rushed to Ukraine, with 20 coming out of military and industry stocks each.
Russian court sets date for new trial of jailed Kremlin foe Navalny
Tuesday 6 June 2023 17:46 , Sam Rkaina
A Moscow court on Tuesday set the date for a new trial of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny that could keep him in prison for decades.
The Moscow City Court held a preliminary hearing behind closed doors to discuss technical issues related to the trial of the Kremlin‘s arch foe before it begins on June 19.
Navalny’s spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, said that the trial will be held at a maximum security prison 250 kilometers (150 miles) east of Moscow where Navalny is serving a nine-year sentence for fraud and contempt of court.
Navalny, 47, who exposed official corruption and organized major anti-Kremlin protests, was arrested in January 2021 upon returning to Moscow after recuperating in Germany from nerve agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin.
Navalny has said that the new extremism charges which he rejected as “absurd” could keep him in prison for another 30 years. He said an investigator told him that he would also face a separate military court trial on terrorism charges that could potentially carry a life sentence.
The new accusations come as Russian authorities are conducting an intensified crackdown on dissent amid the fighting in Ukraine, which Navalny has harshly criticized.
Navalny’s supporters marked his birthday on Sunday by holding pickets and demonstrations, and more than 100 people were arrested.
NATO's eastern flank expects upgraded Ukraine ties at Vilnius summit
Tuesday 6 June 2023 17:20 , William Mata
Members of NATO’s eastern flank expect the military alliance’s July summit in Vilnius will set Ukraine on a clearer path to membership, once its war with Russia ends, the countries said at a summit in Bratislava on Tuesday.
NATO allies have squabbled over the speed of Ukraine‘s eventual accession to the alliance, and Kyiv itself acknowledges it cannot come until its war following Russia’s invasion ends.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met European leaders last week in Moldova as he urged NATO to provide security guarantees if membership was not possible for now.
Presidents of NATO eastern countries, most of which border Ukraine or Russia, met on Tuesday together with Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, in a sign of further backing for Ukraine to be brought closer to NATO.
“We are for strengthening relations with Ukraine in terms of concrete practical aid, but also in bringing relations with Ukraine closer,” Slovak President Zuzana Caputova, who hosted the meeting, told a televised news conference.
“We do not consider this an expansion or encroachment of NATO toward Russia,” she added, saying it would instead provide guarantees to NATO members that Russia will not absorb countries on its borders.
The eastern flank countries of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia - known collectively as the Bucharest Nine - have been among Ukraine‘s staunchest backers.
Before and after
Tuesday 6 June 2023 16:53 , William Mata
This shocking photo shows some of the impact of the dam breaking
Russia says Bakhmut suburb under its control after Wagner accusation
Tuesday 6 June 2023 16:48 , Reuters
Russia's defence ministry said on Tuesday that Berkhivka, a suburb of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut that the head of the Wagner militia had accused Russian troops of partly relinquishing, was entirely under Russian control.
"An attack by fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was successfully repelled by Russian units," the ministry said on Telegram. "A report by individual sources about the alleged abandonment of Berkhivka by Russian troops does not correspond to reality."
Berkhivka lies about 3 km (2 miles) northwest of Bakhmut, and Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose forces spearheaded a grinding battle over many months to capture Bakhmut, claimed the capture of the suburb February 24.
Mr Prigozhin has been feuding for months with Russia's military leadership, accusing them of failing to provide sufficient ammunition and support for Wagner in the field, and so causing it to suffer needlessly heavy losses.
Although Russian regular troops now control Bakhmut after relieving Wagner's fighters, Ukrainian forces have made advances to the north and south of the city.
In an audio message on Monday, Prigozhin said: "Now part of the settlement of Berkhivka has already been lost, the troops are quietly running away. Disgrace!"
Reuters could not verify the state of affairs on the battlefield.
Ukraine’s Zelensky discusses peace moves with Papal envoy
Tuesday 6 June 2023 16:33 , William Mata
President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the Vatican on Tuesday to contribute to the implementation of a Ukrainian peace plan during talks with a Papal envoy about Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, tasked by Pope Francis to carry out a peace mission to try to help end the war in Ukraine, visited Kyiv to sound out the Ukrainian authorities.
Zelensky said they discussed the situation in Ukraine and humanitarian cooperation “in the framework of the Ukrainian Peace Formula.”
“Only united efforts, diplomatic isolation and pressure on Russia can influence the aggressor and bring a just peace to the Ukrainian land,” Zelenskiy wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
“I call on the Holy See to contribute to the implementation of the Ukrainian peace plan. Ukraine welcomes the readiness of other states and partners to find ways to peace, but since the war is on our territory, the algorithm for achieving peace can be Ukrainian only.”
Zelensky met the pope at the Vatican in May and later appeared cool to the prospects of any papal initiative that would put Ukraine on an equal footing with Russia, which invaded in February 2022.
Zelensky’s plan calls for restoring Ukraine‘s territorial integrity, the withdrawal of Russian troops and cessation of hostilities, and the restoration of Ukraine‘s state borders.
The Vatican said before Zuppi’s trip that the main purpose was to listen to Kyiv’s views on ways “to reach a just peace and support humanitarian gestures that may help ease tensions”.
The mention of “humanitarian gestures” appeared to be a reference to Kyiv’s request for help in the repatriation of Ukrainian children it says have been illegally deported by Russia but Zelensky’s statement made no reference to the issue.
Round-up: What we know so far today
Tuesday 6 June 2023 16:26 , William Mata
Ukraine accuses Russia of destroying major dam near Kherson, warns of widespread flooding
Ukraine on Tuesday accused Russian forces of blowing up a major dam in a part of southern Ukraine they control, alerting residents further along the Dnipro River to evacuate and warning of flooding downstream.
Ukraine war map reveals Europe’s largest nuclear power plant ‘threatened’ after dam attack
As Ukraine accuses Russia of decimating a major dam in the Moscow-seized area of Kherson, the country’s national energy company has warned of the risk to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
Ukraine says oil is flooding into Dnipro river after dam attack
Ukraine has claimed that 150 tons of machine oil has polluted the Dnipro river following the destruction of the Kakhovka dam.
House floats down Dnipro river after Kakhovka dam attack floods nearby town
Footage appears to show a house floating down the Dnipro river after a major dam near Kherson was destroyed.
‘Another devastating consequence of the Russia invasion’
Tuesday 6 June 2023 16:08 , William Mata
The small town of Oleshky, on the Russian-controlled southern bank of the Dnipro River in Ukraine's Kherson region, is almost completely flooded following a breach of the huge Kakhovka dam further upriver, a Russian-appointed regional official said on Tuesday.
"Evacuation ... is possible only using special equipment," Andrei Alexeyenko, chairman of the Russian-appointed government of Ukraine's Kherson province, said on Telegram, posting videos showing one car standing in floodwater up to window-level and a lorry driving along a highway in water at least a foot.
The UN, meanwhile, has said it has received no independent information as to how the dam collapsed.
António Guterres, secretary general of the UN, said: “[This is] another devastating consequence of the Russia invasion.”
‘Ukraine to build new station instead of destroyed Kakhovka hydroelectric plant’ - reports
Tuesday 6 June 2023 16:00 , William Mata
Ukraine will build a new power plant on the site of the destroyed Kakhovka Hydroelectric site, it has been reported.
Ihor Syrota, ead of Ukraine's state-owned energy company Ukrhydroenergo, is said to have made the announcement on Tuesday.
The Kyiv Independent announced the development.
Pictures: Ukrainians wait to be evacuated and rescued
Tuesday 6 June 2023 15:54 , William Mata
Ukraine brands Russia 'terrorist state' to open hearings in case against Russia at top UN court
Tuesday 6 June 2023 15:37 , William Mata
Lawyers for Ukraine told the United Nations' top court Tuesday that Russia bankrolled a "campaign of intimidation and terror" by rebels in eastern Ukraine starting in 2014 and sought to replace Crimea's multiethnic community with "discriminatory Russian nationalism" after its occupation and annexation of the region.
The claims came at hearings at the International Court of Justice in a case brought by Kyiv against Russia linked to Moscow's 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula and the arming of rebels in eastern Ukraine in the years before Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Ukraine wants the world court to order Moscow to pay reparations for attacks and crimes in the regions, including for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 that was shot down by Russia-backed rebels on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 passengers and crew.
Four days of hearings in the court's ornate, wood-paneled Great Hall of Justice opened against a backdrop of Europe's deadliest conflict since the Second World War.
Ukraine and Russia were trading accusations of blame for the damage to the Kakhovka dam and hydroelectric power station, which are located in a part of Ukraine that Moscow controls.
Video: House floats down Dnipro river after Kakhovka dam attack floods nearby town
Tuesday 6 June 2023 15:35 , William Mata
Footage appears to show a house floating down the Dnipro river after a major dam near Kherson was destroyed.
Ukraine has accused Russia of blowing up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant structure, while Moscow has put the blame on Kyiv.
“Russian terrorists. The destruction of the dam only confirms for the whole world that they must be expelled from every corner of Ukrainian land,” Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted on Tuesday, June 6.
Milley says fighting in Ukraine has increased and cautions it will continue for lengthy time
Tuesday 6 June 2023 15:31 , William Mata
US Joint Chiefs chairman general Mark Milley said on Tuesday that fighting in Ukraine has increased, but he cautioned against reading too much into each day’s operations.
“There’s activity throughout Russian-occupied Ukraine and fighting has picked up a bit,” Gen Milley said.
He said it was up to Ukraine to announce whether its counteroffensive campaign has formally begun, but he said the Ukrainians are ready for this fight. As time goes on, however, he said that the fighting will vary.“
Like the Battle of Normandy or any other major battle, warfare is a give and take,” Gen Milley said.
“There will be days you see a lot of activity and there will be days you may see very little activity. There will be offensive actions and defense actions. So this will be a back-and-forth fight for a considerable length of time.”
Milley spoke as the fighting increased, and Ukraine reported the collapse of a dam in southern Ukraine that both sides blamed on the other.
German Chancellor Scholz blames Russia for Ukrainian dam breach
Tuesday 6 June 2023 15:14 , William Mata
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz blamed Russia for the attack on the Kakhovka dam in Ukraine on Tuesday, saying the long-feared move represented a new dimension in the conflict.
“By all accounts, this is aggression by the Russian side to stop the Ukrainian offensive, to defend its own country. This shows that this is a new dimension,” Scholz said at a townhall organised by broadcaster RTL.
Scholz said he intended to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin again, although he had not done so for a long time and now was not the right time.
North American leaders respond to dam bursting
Tuesday 6 June 2023 15:07 , William Mata
The United States is “very concerned” after a Russian-controlled dam reportedly burst in Ukraine and is trying to find out more about the potential impact, a Biden administration official said on Tuesday.
Justin Trudeau is also reportedly wary, saying it will be “absolutely devastating for lives and livelihoods across the region”.
The Canadian prime minister added: “[It] was another example of the horrific consequences of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.”
Satellite images show an overview of the damage on the Kakhovka dam
Tuesday 6 June 2023 15:01 , William Mata
The dam attack in Ukraine is a ruthless act of destruction – and shows just how desperate Putin is
Tuesday 6 June 2023 14:45 , William Mata
Destroying the dam may make strategic sense to Moscow – to block Ukrainian troop movements – but it comes at an appalling cost, writes Kim Sengupta
Read his opinion piece here.
'Entire houses are washed away by the flooding Dnipro River’
Tuesday 6 June 2023 14:36 , William Mata
A video has gone viral of entire houses floating along the Dnipro River, having been washed away in flooding.
The clip has been verified by the BBC.
The catastrophe is unfolding. Entire houses are washed away by the flooding Dnipro River.
Source: https://t.co/j0UEIQXDBt#Ukraine #Kherson pic.twitter.com/3UEOsLziuB— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) June 6, 2023
Top Ukrainian advisor warns of 'global ecological disaster’
Tuesday 6 June 2023 14:31 , Chris Stevenson
Mykhailo Podolyak, a chief advisor to President Zelenksy, has warned of a “global ecological disaster” that will impact worldwide food security after a major dam in Southern Ukraine was destroyed on Tuesday morning unleashing the waters of one of Europe’s largest reservoirs over dozens of towns and villages.
Ukraine has accused Russia of blowing up the dam - an action it says amounts to a war crime and will endanger thousands of lives. The Kremlin has vehemently denied the accusations blaming Kyiv for targeting its own infrastructure to distract from what it has claimed is “a failing counteroffensive”.
Mr Podolyak told The Independent that millions of cubic metres of water which had already partially submerged several areas and killed thousands of animals would in a few days reach as far as Mykolaiv a region some 90km away leaving destruction in its wake.
Compounding the crisis was the fact that at least 150 tons of machine oil from the plant had already entered the Dnipro river, and there is a risk of further leakage of more than 300 tons.
“There is no doubt that this will lead to large-scale environmental, economic and human consequences. And the results of such a war crime are equivalent to the use of unconventional weapons,” he said.
“The instantaneous death of a large number of fish and animals, the waterlogging of drained [agricultural] lands and the change in the climatic regime of the region, will later be reflected in the food security of the world.”
Mr Podolyak said that the loss of the reservoir will mean the largest nuclear power plant in Europe - the Zaporizhzhia plant - will gradually run out of cooling water.
“A one-time reduction of water in a huge reservoir will [also] lead to unpredictable ecological consequences.
“We already know about the mass death of animals, in particular, in the local zoo,” in area, he added.
He said he believed the goal for Russia was “to create obstacles for the offensive actions of the Armed Forces” echoing earlier statements from Ukraine’s southern command of its army that said they believe Russia blew up the dam to stop a Ukrainian advance across the Dnipro river.
“This once again confirms that the Kremlin does not think strategically, but in terms of short-term situational advantages, “ Mr Podolyak added.
Afternoon summary: Collapse of major dam in southern Ukraine triggers emergency as Moscow and Kyiv blame each other
Tuesday 6 June 2023 14:28 , William Mata
The wall of a major dam in southern Ukraine collapsed Tuesday, triggering floods, endangering Europe’s largest nuclear power plant and threatening drinking water supplies as both sides in the war scrambled to evacuate residents and blamed each other for the destruction.
Ukraine accused Russian forces of blowing up the Kakhovka dam and hydroelectric power station on the Dnieper River in an area that Moscow controls, while Russian officials blamed Ukrainian bombardment in the contested area.
It was not possible to verify the claims.
The potentially far-reaching environmental and social consequences of the disaster quickly became clear as homes, streets and businesses flooded downstream and emergency crews began evacuations; officials raced to check cooling systems at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant; and authorities expressed concern about supplies of drinking water to the south in Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.
Both Russian and Ukrainian authorities brought in trains and buses for residents. About 22,000 people live in areas at risk of flooding in Russian-controlled areas, while 16,000 live in the most critical zone in Ukrainian-held territory, according to official tallies.
Neither side reported any deaths or injuries.
The dam break added a stunning new dimension to Russia’s war in Ukraine, now in its 16th month. Ukrainian forces were widely seen to be moving forward with a long-anticipated counteroffensive in patches along more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of front line in the east and south.It was not immediately clear whether either side benefits from the damage to the dam, since both Russian-controlled and Ukrainian-held lands are at risk.
The damage could also hinder Ukraine‘s counteroffensive in the south and distract its government, while Russia depends on the dam to supply water to Crimea.Although Kyiv officials claimed Russia blew up the dam to hinder the counteroffensive, observers note that crossing the broad Dnieper would be extremely challenging for the Ukrainian military. Other sectors of the front line are more likely avenues of attack, analysts say.
‘Russia is shelling areas in southern Kherson’
Tuesday 6 June 2023 14:00 , William Mata
Ihor Klymenko, Ukraine’s interior minister, has reportedly claimed that Russia is shelling areas in southern Kherson. These are areas where people are currenly being evacuated, the Guardian has said.
“The Russian military continue to shell territory where evacuation measures are being carried out,” Mr Klymenko told Ukraine television.
“An hour ago, two police officers were wounded in the area. Shelling continues at the moment.”
‘The world must react'
Tuesday 6 June 2023 13:50 , William Mata
Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky has tweeted a video of the destruction caused, alongside a message calling for the world to react.
“This is just one day of Russian aggression. This is just one Russian act of terrorism. This is just one Russian war crime. Now Russia is guilty of brutal ecocide. Any comments are superfluous.
“The world must react. Russia is at war against life, against nature, against civilization.
“Russia must leave the Ukrainian land and must be held fully accountable for its terror.”
This is just one day of Russian aggression. This is just one Russian act of terrorism. This is just one Russian war crime. Now Russia is guilty of brutal ecocide. Any comments are superfluous.
The world must react. Russia is at war against life, against nature, against… pic.twitter.com/CUd1UNmcW5— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 6, 2023
Police officer rescues drowning dog
Tuesday 6 June 2023 13:40 , William Mata
In this clip shared by the Kyiv Independent, an officer steps in to rescue a dog that was struggling in rising waters.
Flooding has been experienced in Kherson after the destruction of the dam.
A police officer in Kherson rescues a dog trapped and drowning in floodwaters as a result of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant dam explosion on June 6.
📽️: National Police of Ukraine pic.twitter.com/TBsBtY6LoH— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) June 6, 2023
Ukraine says oil is flooding into Dnipro river after dam attack
Tuesday 6 June 2023 13:30 , William Mata
Ukraine has claimed that 150 tonnes of machine oil has polluted the Dnipro river following the destruction of the Kakhovka dam.
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday accused Russian forces of blowing up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station from inside the facility and said Russia must be held to account for a “terrorist attack” that leaves settlements vulnerable to flooding.
“We are doing everything to save people,” he said on Telegram.
Pictures: Zelensky holds emergency meeting
Tuesday 6 June 2023 13:20 , William Mata
