Authorities rushed drinking water to areas flooded by a collapsed dam in southern Ukraine on Wednesday as they managed a growing humanitarian and ecological disaster along a river that forms part of the front line in the 15-month war.
The collapse of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam and emptying of its reservoir on the Dnieper River added to the misery the region has suffered for more than a year from artillery and missile attacks.With humanitarian and ecological disasters still unfolding, it is already clear that tens of thousands of people have been deprived of drinking water, many are homeless, crops are ruined, land mines have been displaced, and the stage is set for long-term electricity shortages.
Ukraine holds the Dnieper's western bank, while Russia controls the low-lying eastern side, which is more vulnerable to flooding. Many residents had long ago fled the region due to the fighting, but others stayed, making it hard to determine how many people remain at risk in an area where hundreds of thousands lived before Russia's February 2022 invasion.
Zelenskyy accused Moscow-installed officials in occupied areas of failing to respond adequately to the emergency. Most Russian troops fled Oleshky shortly after the dam incident, Lera said, although a military checkpoint remains, and boats with people trying to leave have come under fire from soldiers. Her claim could not be independently verified.
Animals were not spared, with some pets trapped. Officials at the Kazkova Dibrova Zoo in Nova Kakhovka said it was under water and that "only swans and ducks could escape." Kofman, the analyst, said he didn't think the dam collapse "will substantially affect Ukrainian military prospects when it comes to their offensive this summer."
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