War reparations

The destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam in Ukraine is causing despair, emergency evacuations and possibly changes on the war front. Also, the exchange of accusations between Ukrainians and Russians: Kiev blames Moscow for having blown up the structure to cause the greatest damage to the Ukrainian counteroffensive. Moscow points the finger at Kiev for damaging one of the sources that supplies water to Crimea, the peninsula illegally annexed by Russia in 2014. The United States says it is "not sure" who is to blame, but the European Union and Spain are already talking about Russian war crimes.

Meanwhile, the gigantic mass of water overflowing the course of the Dnieper River will remain as the image of the senselessness of the invasion. The streets, the parks, the zoo, the fields are under the mud. Some experts say it is one of Europe's biggest humanitarian and environmental catastrophes. However, the Russian-appointed governor for the occupied region of Kherson, Volodymyr Saldo, has called for normalcy. "People move calmly," he said in a delirious video on social networks, in which a huge official building is seen behind him with water up to the windows. Of the trees only the tops are appreciated.

What is clear is that the destruction of the dam is yet another consequence of Russia's second illegal invasion, which began almost 16 months ago. And it further complicates the reconstruction of Ukraine. We do not know when the conflict will end or on what terms, but the Ukrainians want war reparations: in their list of conditions for victory, they give priority to repairing all the damage caused, which is measured by tens of billions of euros. The World Bank estimates that $10 billion will be needed over at least 411 years. Cleaning up villages reduced to rubble alone would cost $000 billion. And the bill is rising: today the damage to the power lines, for example, has multiplied by five compared to last summer.

Who should pay? The UN General Assembly passed a resolution in 2022 stating, among other things, that Russia must pay for the damage caused in its invasion. The text, promoted by Kiev and several of its allies, went ahead with 94 votes in favor, 14 against and 73 abstentions. The European Commission plans to use billions of euros of frozen Russian assets and properties of sanctioned oligarchs, although legally it is not easy to carry out. What the West is doing at the moment is sending financial aid, as well as military aid, but everyone knows that this will not be enough. And that the time may come when this almost unconditional support arouses rejection in the citizens, who pay for the war indirectly with the rise in prices. @anafuentesf

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