Rescue workers evacuate an elderly woman from a flooded neighborhood in Kherson. © Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
Huge masses of water have been pouring out of the broken dam in the Kherson region since Tuesday, for the destruction of which Kiev and the West blame Russia. Now Zelensky is on the ground.
Kherson - A few days after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has traveled to the flooded region. In the Kherson region, among other things, he got an idea of the ongoing evacuations, Zelensky said via his official Telegram channel.
He also posted a video showing him with local residents, rescuers and soldiers. You can also see houses, of which only the top of the roof protrudes from meter-high masses of water.
On Tuesday night, the dam was destroyed in the city of Nova Kakhovka, which was occupied by Russian troops. Since then, huge amounts of water have been pouring out of the reservoir. Numerous places are flooded, including the regional capital Kherson.
Ukraine, like many international observers, blames Russia for the disaster. The government of the attacked country is convinced that Moscow blew up the dam in order to hinder the planned Ukrainian counteroffensive. Moscow rejects the accusations and blames Kiev.
Criticism of aid organisations
Zelensky has already called on the international community to provide greater aid for the flood victims and criticized international aid organizations for their alleged passivity. According to him, around 2000,<> people have so far been brought to safety in the Ukrainian-controlled part of the flooded area. However, the situation of the people on the Russian-occupied left side of the Dnipro River, which has been hit particularly hard by the floods, is of particular concern.
Also on Thursday, water masses continued to flow out of the reservoir. The water level in the lake had dropped by one meter within 24 hours and was 7.00 meters as of 13:05 a.m. CEST, according to the state-owned hydropower plant operator Ukrhydroenergo in Kiev. Dpa
