Ukraine blames Russia’s 205th motor rifle brigade
Ukraine’s foreign minister called the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant a “heinous war crime” which could be the largest man-made disaster in Europe of recent decades (the last and only time it was blown up was by Soviet troops during WWII). Probable consequences include: floods in multiple settlements on the Dnipro River’s banks and parts of Kherson city, thousands of civilians’ lives put at risk, a lack of drinking water in Ukraine’s South including Crimea, and – critically – a threat to the operation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant which is cooled by water from the Kakhovka reservoir. The IAEA said today there was “no immediate nuclear safety risk at the plant”. A Ukrainian army spokesman blamed Russian forces and said they were losing their nerve waiting for Ukraine’s counter offensive. The UN made no immediate comment. Instead it noted on Twitter that “Tuesday is Russian Language Day”.
Photograph Serhii Mykhalchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images