Ukraine updates: Zelenskky blames Moscow for dam destruction
Flooding is expected after Ukraine’s military says Russia destroyed Nova Kakhovka dam in the Kherson Region.
This blog is now closed, thanks for joining us. These were the updates on the Russia-Ukraine war on Tuesday, June 6.
This blog is now closed, thanks for joining us. These were the updates on the Russia-Ukraine war on Tuesday, June 6.
- Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described the bursting of the Nova Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine as “an environmental bomb of mass destruction” while describing it as a “terrorist” act.
- Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of destroying the Nova Kakhovka dam in the Russian-controlled part of the Kherson region.
- Ukraine’s military administration has told people to be ready to evacuate from several villages on the right bank of the Dnipro River due to a high risk of flooding. Meanwhile, the Russian-installed administration in the region plans evacuations from three Kremlin-controlled districts near the dam.
- Ukraine’s atomic agency says the situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is “under control” after the dam blast.
Zelenskyy says dam breach is ‘environmental bomb of mass destruction’
Zelenskyy describes the bursting of the Nova Kakhovka dam as “an environmental bomb of mass destruction” and says only liberating the entire country could prevent new “terrorist” acts.
“Such deliberate destruction by the Russian occupiers … is an environmental bomb of mass destruction,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.
“Only the complete liberation of Ukrainian land from the Russian occupiers will guarantee that there will be no more such terrorist attacks.”
France says ready to help Ukraine with dam relief efforts
France has offered assistance to Ukraine after the Nova Kakhovka dam breach in the south of the country.
“France stands ready to provide assistance to the Ukrainian authorities to respond to the consequences of the partial destruction
of the dam,” a letter from the French foreign ministry said.
Hundreds of thousands at risk from Ukraine dam crisis: UN
The UN has warned the breach at the Nova Kakhovka dam could create an environmental disaster and have dire humanitarian consequences for hundreds of thousands of people.
“We are gravely concerned about the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, … and the severe humanitarian impact on hundreds of thousands of people on both sides of the front line,” the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.
US-built F-16s can carry nuclear weapons, Russia warns as Ukraine awaits shipments
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says US-built F-16 fighter jets can “accommodate” nuclear weapons and warned that supplying Kyiv with them will escalate the conflict.
“We must keep in mind that one of the modifications of the F-16 can accommodate nuclear weapons,” Lavrov said in a speech at a military base in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, according to a transcript on the ministry’s website.
“If they do not understand this, then they are worthless as military strategists and planners.”
Poland calls for more sanctions against Russia
Poland has called for more sanctions against Russia for allegedly blowing up Nova Kakhovka dam.
“In response to this act, it is necessary to impose further severe sanctions on the Russian Federation,” a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs read.
“[Poland] unconditionally condemns the blowing up of the dam. This is yet another outrageous act of Russian barbarity on Ukraine’s occupied territories, a grave violation of basic norms of humanitarian and environmental protection law, and an apparent war crime,” the statement said.
Zelenskyy says destroyed dam will not affect counteroffensive plans
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the attack on the Nova Kakhovka dam would not affect Kyiv’s plans to go on the offensive and claw back lost territory.
“The explosion of the dam did not affect Ukraine’s ability to de-occupy its own territories,” he said on Telegram, saying he spoke to his top military commanders and the army was at the highest level of readiness.
US ‘cannot say conclusively’ what happened in dam breach
The White House has said that it is too early to determine what happened to the Nova Kakhovka dam, adding that the US is “closely monitoring” the situation.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said there were likely many casualties, including deaths, from the breach. He also noted reports that Russian forces were responsible for the blast.
“We’re doing the best we can to assess those reports, and we are working with the Ukrainians to gather more information, but we cannot say conclusively what happened at this point,” Kirby told reporters.
Russia summons Belgian envoy after armed men allegedly use Belgian weapons
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has summoned Belgium’s ambassador to protest what it said was the use of “Belgian weapons” by pro-Ukraine armed individuals attacking Russian territory last month.
Al Jazeera was not able to independently verify Russia’s claim.
Russia has complained before that Ukrainian sabotage groups have used Western weapons to wage attacks on its territory.
Urgent international response needed for dam disaster: Amnesty
Human rights group Amnesty International says Russian, Ukrainian and international authorities must prioritise the evacuations and safety of civilians amid the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam, while also calling for an immediate investigation.
“The rules of international humanitarian law specifically protect dams, due to the dangers their destruction poses to civilians. The destruction of the Kakhovka dam is a catastrophe that endangers the life, safety and wellbeing of tens if not hundreds of thousands of people living within range of the flood waters,” said Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s regional director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
“Authorities on all sides must prioritise the evacuation and safety of civilians affected by the dam’s destruction and take steps to minimise its other consequences.”
Ukraine calls Russia a ‘terrorist state’
Ukraine has called Russia a “terrorist state” at the International Court of Justice at The Hague as proceedings began in a case over Moscow’s backing of pro-Russian separatists blamed for shooting down a Malaysian Airlines flight in 2014.
“Russia cannot defeat us on the battlefield, so it targets civilian infrastructure to try to freeze us into submission,” Ukrainian Ambassador-at-Large Anton Korynevych said at the hearings, describing Russia’s actions as “the actions of a terrorist state”.
“Just today, Russia blew up a major dam, … causing significant civilian evacuations, ecological damage and threatening the safety of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.”
Tennis star Sabalenka says she does not support war in Ukraine
Belarusian tennis ace Aryna Sabalenka says she does not approve of her country’s role in the war in Ukraine and is not a supporter of President Alexander Lukashenko.
“I’m not supporting the war, meaning I don’t support Lukashenko right now,” the world number two said at the French Open.
Sabalenka, 25, had cancelled two previous press conferences at the Paris-based tournament, saying she didn’t feel “safe” after facing a barrage of political questions, including over Lukashenko, whom she has met.
“I don’t want my country to be involved in any conflict. I said it many times. You have my position. You have my answer,” she said. “I don’t want sport to be involved in politics.”
At least 71 houses flooded in Ukraine-controlled Kherson: Governor
Oleksandr Prokudin, the governor of Ukrainian-controlled parts of Kherson along the west bank of the Dnipro River, says at least 71 houses and three bridges have been damaged due to the dam breach.
“We are evacuating people from settlements that are in the flood zone. For this purpose, 50 buses and a large number of people, [including] volunteers, police officers, emergency services and military administration personnel were involved,” he said in a statement on Telegram, adding that water is continuing to flood towns and villages in the region.
Photos: Hundreds evacuated after Nova Kakhovka dam blast
What is ecocide?
Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of “ecocide” after the dam blast.
But what is ecocide? Watch our Start Here episode below.
US knew about Ukraine plan to attack Nord Stream pipelines: Washington Post
A report from The Washington Post says that three months before the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines were bombed, the US had intelligence about a Ukrainian plan to attack the network in the Baltic Sea.
The Post said that in June last year, the Central Intelligence Agency learned that a six-person team of Ukrainian special operations forces intended to blow up the gas pipelines between Russia and Germany.
The newspaper cited intelligence leaked on the Discord chat platform allegedly by former US air national guard member Jack Teixeira, who was arrested in April.
Russia says Bakhmut suburb is under its control
Russia’s defence ministry says Berkhivka, a suburb of Bakhmut, is entirely under Moscow’s control.
“An attack by fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was successfully repelled by Russian units,” the ministry said on Telegram.
It added: “A report by individual sources about the alleged abandonment of Berkhivka by Russian troops does not correspond to reality.”
The ministry’s comments come after the head of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose mercenaries led Moscow’s battle in Bakhmut, said Ukrainian forces had retaken part of Berkhivka.
Dam breach a ‘consequence’ of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, UN boss says
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres says that while the world body does not have any independent information on how the Nova Kakhovka dam burst, “one thing is clear – this is another devastating consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.”
Both Russia and Ukraine have called for a meeting at the UN Security Council to discuss the dam breach.
Russia says town of Oleshky is ‘almost completely flooded’
The Russian-installed chairman of Ukraine’s Kherson region, Andrei Alexeyenko, says the town of Oleshky on the Moscow-controlled southern bank of the Dnipro River is “almost completely flooded after the dam breach”.
“Evacuation … is possible only using special equipment,” Alexeyenko said on Telegram.
He posted videos displaying one car standing in floodwater up to window level and a lorry driving along a highway in water at least 30cm (1 foot) deep.
Kyiv will build new power plant on destroyed dam site: Energy company
Ukrainian energy company Ukrhydroenergo says the country will build a new power plant on the site of the destroyed Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, according to a report by Ukrainian broadcaster Ukrainska Pravda.
“Hydrostructures are being eroded, and we understand that we will have to build a new station very quickly. We will build a more beautiful and powerful station in the same place,” Ukrhydroenergo head Ihor Syrota said.
Finland to expel nine people working at the Russian embassy
President Sauli Niinistö says Finland will expel nine people working at the Russian embassy in Helsinki.
The president’s office released a statement accusing the nine diplomats of working on “intelligence missions”.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year, Finland has been fortifying its border with Russia and has become a NATO member.
Russia to convene UN Security Council meeting over dam blast: RIA
Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, says the country will convene a meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the Nova Kakhovka dam blast, according to a report from the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
Earlier, Ukraine’s foreign ministry also called on the Security Council to hold an “urgent meeting” over the dam breach.
Ukraine ‘blew up’ Kakhovka dam to redeploy units: Russia’s Shoigu
Russia’s defence minister says Ukraine blew up the Nova Kakhovka dam to “redeploy units” from the Kherson region, according to a statement by the Kremlin’s defence ministry.
Shoigu added that the dam breach and flooding “were designed to prevent Russia from attacking near Kherson” while allowing Ukraine to “transfer units and equipment from the Kherson front to the area of offensive operations”.
Germany’s Scholz blames Russia for dam blast
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has blamed Russia for the Nova Kakhovka dam breach.
“By all accounts, this is aggression by the Russian side to stop the Ukrainian offensive to defend its own country. This shows that this is a new dimension,” Scholz said at a town hall organised by broadcaster RTL.
The German leader also said he intended to speak to Putin again, adding that he had not talked to him for a long time.
US and Canada react to dam blast
The US and Canada have reacted to the partial destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam hours after the explosion.
An official from President Joe Biden’s administration said the US is “deeply concerned” by the incident.
Speaking to reporters in Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said: “The disaster was absolutely devastating for lives and livelihoods across the region.”
Shoigu says 71 Russian soldiers killed in ‘unsuccessful’ Ukrainian offensive
Russia’s defence minister says 71 Russian soldiers had been killed in what he calls “an unsuccessful Ukrainian offensive in recent days”.
“I repeat, the enemy did not achieve its goals, suffered significant and incomparable losses,” Shoigu said, according to a statement on Telegram by Russia’s defence ministry.