The southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, occupied by the Russian military despite a surge by troops from Kiev in recent weeks, was '
without electricity and water
' on Sunday following a Ukrainian strike, authorities said
occupation of the eponymous region.
"
As a result of a terrorist attack, organized by the Ukrainian side, three concrete pylons carrying high-voltage lines were damaged on the Berislav-Kakhovka axis
," they said in a statement on Telegram.
“
Currently, there is no electricity or water in the city and in some districts in the region
,” they added.
“
Today at 10:00 a.m. (08:00 GMT), six Himars missiles were launched.
Air defense units shot down five, (and) one hit the sluice of the Kakhovka dam, which was damaged
,” a representative of the emergency services of the Kherson region said, quoted by Russian agencies. .
The Kakhovka hydroelectric dam, built along the Dnieper River and captured at the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, notably supplies water to the Crimean peninsula, annexed in 2014 by Moscow.
“
Everything is under control
,” quickly declared the representative of the administration installed by Moscow from Nova Kakhovka, the village where the dam is located, 60 km east as the crow flies from the large city of Kherson, under Russian control.
"
A missile hit (the site), but did not cause critical damage
," said Ruslan Agaev, quoted by Russian agencies.
Read alsoKherson offensive: why the Kakhovka dam is a vital issue for Ukraine and Russia
The Himars, American precision artillery systems, have been used since July in Ukraine after the United States delivered them to kyiv, notably allowing the Ukrainian army to carry out more precise strikes than with Soviet weapons. she had before.
The risk of strikes on this strategic infrastructure has been brandished since October by the Ukrainian and Russian parties, the two accusing each other of endangering the lives of "
thousands
" of inhabitants in this area of the region where Kiev troops are advancing since September.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensk accused Moscow two weeks ago of having "
undermined the dam
", one of the largest in Ukraine, "
lies
" swept away by the Russian occupation authorities.