French President Emmanuel Macron expressed in a statement that his country would provide aid to Ukraine in response to the destruction of the Kakhovka dam, which caused severe flooding and forced people to seek refuge on roofs and in trees. Macron took to Twitter to condemn the act and announce that aid would be sent within hours to address immediate needs.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had emphasized the urgent need to control the situation and manage the consequences of the incident during a call with Macron. Zelensky tweeted that they discussed the situation in the Kherson region, the environmental and humanitarian impacts of the “act of terrorism” committed by Russia, and the pressing needs of Ukraine to address the disaster.
As a result of the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam, people in affected areas were left stranded, spending the night on roofs and trees due to the floods. The dam, located along the Dnipro River in parts of Ukraine’s Kherson region controlled by Russia, collapsed, flooding a significant area in the war zone along the frontline. The responsible party behind the incident is still unclear.
Satellite images from Maxar Technologies revealed submerged houses and buildings, with only roofs visible, and water covering parks, land, and infrastructure. Reuters reported that many individuals had to sleep on roofs and seek refuge in trees while awaiting rescue.
The Ukrainian government estimated that approximately 42,000 people were at direct risk from the flooding, which was expected to reach its peak on Wednesday. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of individuals would be left without access to drinking water. The agriculture ministry stated that the disaster would disrupt the water supply to 31 irrigation systems in the Dnipro regions of Ukraine. The dam’s destruction resulted in 94% of irrigation systems in Kherson, 74% in Zaporizhzhia, and 30% in Dnipro being without water.
Residents in affected areas were seen fleeing, carrying children on their shoulders, dogs in their arms, and belongings in plastic bags. Meanwhile, rescuers used rubber boats to search areas where the water had risen above head height.
Russian President Vladimir Putin referred to the attack on the Russian-occupied Kakhovka dam as a “barbaric act” in his first public reaction. Moscow has already accused Ukraine of carrying out the “catastrophic” attack. Following a reported blast, the hydroelectric dam was breached, leading to a blame game between Moscow and Kyiv.
In a phone call with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Putin described the breach as a “barbaric act” that caused a large-scale environmental and humanitarian catastrophe, according to a statement from the Kremlin.
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