Volodymyr Zelensky visited Kherson on Thursday, a city devastated by flooding caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka dam, on Tuesday. There, he visited an evacuation point for civilians, interacting with officials. "Our task is to protect lives and help people as much as possible. I thank the rescuers and volunteers! " praised the Ukrainian president in a message published on social networks.
He also said he had held a "coordination meeting" in the Kherson region on "the operational situation in the region following the disaster (and) the evacuation of the population from potentially flood-prone areas". He also promised "compensation" for "residents affected by the disaster" and "a program to compensate for losses or relocate businesses to the area."
Zelensky arrived in Kherson pic.twitter.com/7BP08Hk8ic
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According to Governor Oleksandr Prokudin, "Six hundred square kilometers are flooded in the Kherson region. 32% are on the right bank" of the Ukrainian-controlled Dnieper River, and "68% on the left bank," occupied by the Russians. Moscow and Kiev blame each other for Tuesday's destruction of the dam on the Dnieper River.
On the Ukrainian side, "20 localities and 2,629 houses" were flooded, including part of the regional capital, Kherson. Ukraine's state emergency services put the evacuation at 1,995 people with 103 children. Many others fled on their own.
On the Russian side, 4,500 people "have already been evacuated," according to the occupation authorities on Thursday, and "five people who were grazing cattle drowned," according to Vladimir Leontiev, the mayor of the Russian-installed city of Nova Kakhovka, quoted by Russian agencies. This is the first death toll reported by the authorities since the destruction of the Kakhovka dam.
Zelensky said he was "shocked"
On Thursday, however, evacuations continued in Kherson, led by Ukrainian relief efforts. Tetiana Omeltchenko, 65, told AFP she waited for rescuers for two days, eventually escaping from her apartment through a broken window to reach the local services rubber boat. "In my building, the water has reached the third floor and there are still people there," she said.
According to the local meteorological agency, the water level is 5.33 meters above normal. But it "started to go down a little bit. If this trend continues, it will be good news for residents."
The day before, Volodymyr Zelensky had however deplored the lack of humanitarian aid: "The UN, the United Nations and the representatives of the Red Cross are not there," he denounced in an interview broadcast by the German media Welt TV and Bild. He said he was "shocked" because "these are the forces that must be there to save people's lives." After a telephone conversation with Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron announced Wednesday evening the sending, "in the next few hours", of "aid to meet the immediate needs" of Ukraine.
Environmental disaster
Volodymyr Zelensky had also accused Russian forces of targeting rescuers trying to bring aid to the disaster area. "As soon as our forces try to get someone out of there, the occupiers shoot at them from a distance." According to his staff, the Russians "were not prepared for the consequences of the explosion" and "suffered losses in men, weapons and military equipment".
Another fear, that of "massive environmental damage". "We risk losing many species of plants and animals on the red list" of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which lists endangered species, said Andriy Iermak, the head of Ukraine's presidential administration.
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Another possible consequence of the destruction of the Kakhovka dam would be the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. Located upstream of the gutted dam, the plant supplies water from the Dnieper for its cooling needs.
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