Ukraine-Russia updates: Flood-dislodged landmines stoke fears
Russia and Ukraine trade blame for an explosion at the Nova Kakhovka dam that has caused widespread flooding.
This blog is now closed. Thanks for joining us. These were the updates on the Russia-Ukraine war on Wednesday, June 7:
This blog is now closed. Thanks for joining us. These were the updates on the Russia-Ukraine war on Wednesday, June 7:
- The breach of the Nova Kakhovka dam in Ukraine will have a catastrophic effect on locating landmines in the affected region, the Red Cross warns.
- In his first public comments on the Kakhovka dam blast, which has caused widespread flooding, Russian President Vladimir Putin accuses Ukraine of a “barbaric act”.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has blamed Moscow for blowing up the dam, says Russia-backed forces are failing in their efforts to evacuate residents from affected occupied areas.
- About 42,000 people are at risk from flooding in Russian- and Ukrainian-controlled areas along the Dnipro River after the dam burst on Tuesday.
Ukraine rejects attempt to ‘freeze the conflict’: Kuleba
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says talks about resolving the conflict with Russia could not start with a mere cessation of hostilities.
“If anyone thinks they should freeze the conflict and then see how to solve it, they don’t understand it,” he said in an online briefing aimed at African journalists, following a tour of African countries.
Kuleba has been on a charm offensive in Africa to win support on a continent where 30 of 54 countries voted in favour of a UN resolution condemning Russia’s invasion.
“What we see in our relations with the continent right now is fair to call a Ukrainian-African renaissance,” Kuleba said.
6,000 people evacuated on both sides of Dnipro River: Ukrainian officials
Almost 6,000 people have been evacuated on both sides of the Dnipro River after flooding caused by the destruction of the Russian-occupied Kakhovka dam in Ukraine, Ukrainian officials say.
The destruction of the dam near the front line flooded dozens of villages and parts of a nearby city, sparking fears of a humanitarian disaster.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said 30 settlements had been flooded, 10 of which are under Russian control.
Ukraine tops agenda for meeting between Biden, NATO chief
US President Joe Biden will host NATO’s Stoltenberg for talks on Monday, one month before the military alliance’s summit, and Ukraine will top the agenda, the White House says.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the pair would review preparations for the summit in Lithuania and “discuss allies’ support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s brutal war of aggression”.
NATO leaders are due to convene on July 11-12 in Vilnius.
NATO to meet on destruction of dam: Stoltenberg
Stoltenberg says he will chair a meeting on Thursday of an emergency coordination panel with Ukraine on the “outrageous destruction” of a front-line dam.
The wrecking of the Kakhovka dam in the southern region of Kherson unleashed waters “displacing thousands of people and causing an ecological catastrophe in Ukraine,” the NATO chief said in a tweet.
Spoke w/@DmytroKuleba about the outrageous destruction of the #Kakhovka dam, which is displacing thousands of people & causing an ecological catastrophe in #Ukraine. Minister Kuleba will virtually join Allied ambassadors in a #NATO-Ukraine Commission meeting I will chair tomorrow
— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) June 7, 2023
He added that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba would participate by video link in Thursday’s meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission.
Kuleba tweeted that the meeting was called at his request and said Stoltenberg had promised “NATO mechanisms will be used to provide humanitarian assistance”.
Zelenskyy ‘in shock’ over lack of help with dam destruction fallout
Zelenskyy has expressed dismay at a lack of help from the UN and Red Cross after the Russian-occupied Kakhovka dam burst.
“They are not there,” Zelenskyy said in an interview with Germany’s Bild newspaper, adding that he was “in shock because I think they are the forces who have to be there to save people’s lives”.
Russian troops shooting at Ukrainian rescue workers, Zelenskyy says
Russian troops have been shooting at Ukrainian rescue workers who are evacuating residents in occupied areas of Kherson province that have been flooded by the Nova Kakhovka dam breach, Zelenskyy says in an interview with the US-based Politico news website.
“As soon as our helpers try to rescue them, they are shot at,” Zelenskyy said, referring to emergency workers who are trying to reach areas on the Russian-occupied bank of the Dnipro River.
France to send aid to Ukraine within ‘next few hours’: Macron
Macron says France will send aid to Ukraine “within the next few hours” after the destruction of a dam triggered flooding and fears of a humanitarian disaster.
“France condemns this atrocious act, which is endangering populations. Within the next few hours, we will send aid to meet immediate needs,” Macron wrote on Twitter.
I expressed to President Zelensky my solidarity with the Ukrainian people after the attack on the Kakhovka dam. France condemns this atrocious act, which is endangering populations. Within the next few hours, we will send aid to meet immediate needs.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) June 7, 2023
Zelenskyy stresses to Macron need to deal with dam ‘consequences’
Zelenskyy has stressed to France’s president the pressing need to handle the consequences of the bursting of a front-line Russian-held dam.
During a call with Emmanuel Macron, they “spoke about the current situation in Kherson region, the environmental and humanitarian consequences of the Russian act of terrorism, and outlined the urgent needs of Ukraine to eliminate the disaster”, Zelenskyy said on Twitter.
I had a thorough phone call with the President of 🇫🇷 France @EmmanuelMacron. Thanked him for the opportunity to participate in the Summit of the European Political Community and for support at the UN Security Council. Spoke about the current situation in Kherson region, the…
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 7, 2023
Kakhovka dam breach will impact locating landmines: Red Cross
The breach of the Nova Kakhovka dam in Ukraine will have a catastrophic effect on locating landmines in the affected region, the Red Cross warns.
“We knew where the hazards were,” said Erik Tollefsen, head of the Weapon Contamination Unit at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). “Now we don’t know.
“All we know is that they are somewhere downstream.”
“This is a major concern because it will affect not just the population but also all of those that are coming in to help,” he added.
The ICRC had spent several months helping mine clearance operations in Ukraine, mapping and marking minefields, and providing training and equipment, Tollefsen said.
“Now all of that has been washed away.”
China-Russia trade in May highest since start of Moscow’s war on Ukraine
China’s trade with Russia in May hit its highest level in a single month since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, official customs data show.
Trade between the two countries was worth $20.5bn last month, data from Beijing showed, with Chinese imports from Russia worth $11.3bn.
China ‘deeply concerned’ over damaged dam’s impact
China has expressed “serious concern” over the breach of a Russian-held dam in Ukraine, saying it feared “humanitarian, economic and ecological impacts”.
While China says it is a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict, it has been criticised for refusing to condemn Moscow for its offensive.
Beijing’s “position on the Ukraine crisis is consistent and clear”, foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said.
“It is hoped that all parties will be committed to a political solution to the Ukrainian crisis and will jointly promote the alleviation of the situation,” he said.
Destruction of Kakhovka dam ‘environmental catastrophe’: Ukraine PM
Ukraine’s prime minister says the destruction of the Kakhovka dam was “one of the most significant environmental catastrophes in Europe in recent decades”.
Speaking at the OECD in Paris by video link, Denys Shmyhal said “dozens of towns and villages will struggle with potable water supply.”
He added that the dam breach would also affect irrigation systems in southern Ukraine “leading to drought and crop failures. This strikes at the heart of global food security.”
He called it a “crime against humanity and an ecocide. Therefore, Russia must face a powerful and unified response, not mere words.”
European Commission takes legal action against Poland over ‘Russian influence’ body
The European Commission has launched legal action against Poland over its creation of a body probing “Russian influence”, which is seen as targeting the opposition.
The announcement of the infringement procedure came despite Polish President Andrzej Duda saying last week that he would propose amending the law on the panel after criticism from the EU’s executive body and the United States.
Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said it had “agreed to start an infringement procedure by sending a letter of formal notice” to Warsaw.
Poland – a neighbour and staunch ally of Ukraine, which is battling Russia’s invasion – set up the committee with the stated goal of investigating citizens who may have succumbed to Russian influence.
Who controls what?
Here are four maps charting the latest war developments:
Videos show scale of destruction after Ukraine dam blast
UK not deterred by Russia’s ‘sabre-rattling’: Cleverly
Britain will be not deterred by “sabre-rattling” from Russia over the delivery of Western weapons to Ukraine, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly says, adding that more “shrill” rhetoric can be expected from the Kremlin.
“We made a conscious decision that we cannot allow escalatory rhetoric or sabre-rattling from Vladimir Putin or from the Kremlin to deter us from doing the right thing,” Cleverly said on the sidelines of a meeting at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, according to AFP.
“As the Ukrainians move closer towards success and closer towards victory, there will be more regular and more shrill noises coming out of the Kremlin.”
54,000 Ukrainian soldiers trained by Kyiv’s allies
Kyiv’s backers have trained about 54,000 Ukrainian soldiers, including more than 6,000 who make up 12 battalions that have been instructed by the United States in combined arms operations, AFP reports.
NATO must discuss assuring Ukraine’s security after the war: Stoltenberg
NATO must discuss options for giving Ukraine security assurances after its war with Russia, the alliance’s chief, Jens Stoltenberg, says.
Stoltenberg said that when the war ends, NATO will need arrangements to ensure that Russia does not relocate its forces for another attack.
But the NATO chief clarified that the military bloc will only provide security guarantees to full members.
Everything you need to know about the dam explosion
On Tuesday, an explosion blew up part of the Nova Kakhovka dam and hydroelectric power plant in the Russian-controlled part of eastern Ukraine.
Russia and Ukraine have traded blame for the blast, which has flooded lands along the Dnipro River and forced many residents to leave their homes.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Nova Kakhovka dam collapse.
Putin blames Ukraine for ‘barbaric act’ at Kakhovka dam
Putin has told Erdogan that the Kakhovka dam blast was a “barbaric act” from Kyiv, Tass reports.
“Vladimir Putin stated that the Kyiv authorities, at the suggestion of their Western curators, are still banking on the escalation of hostilities, committing war crimes, openly using terrorist methods, and organising sabotage on Russian territory. A vivid example of this is the barbaric act to destroy the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station in the Kherson region, which led to a large-scale environmental and humanitarian disaster,” a statement from the Kremlin said.
Putin’s statement comes a day after the European Union blamed Russia for the explosion using similar words.
European Commission spokesman Peter Stano said at a news conference in Brussels: “This is a new sign of escalation, bringing the horrific and barbaric nature of Russian aggression against Ukraine to unprecedented levels.”
IMF says it is ‘very concerned’ about impact of collapsed dam
The International Monetary Fund says it is “very concerned” about the social, economic and environmental impacts of the Nova Kakhovka dam breach.
“It is too early to assess the full impact of the damage on the economy. We are following the situation closely,” an IMF spokesperson said in an email to the Reuters news agency.
Ukraine is currently waiting for the IMF executive board’s approval of a $900m disbursement from its new $15.6bn IMF loan programme.
Putin, Erdogan discuss dam collapse
Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken to his Turkish counterpart about the Kakhovka dam, the Tass news agency reports.
According to a statement by the Turkish presidency, “President Erdogan stated the importance of conducting a comprehensive investigation into the explosion at the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam, so that there would be no doubt” about what caused the blast.
“He stated that a commission could be created with the participation of Russian and Ukrainian experts, the UN and the international community, including Turkey,” the office said.
The Reuters news agency cited the Kremlin as saying Putin called the dam’s destruction an “environmental and humanitarian catastrophe” during the call with Erdogan.
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 469
Click here for a roundup of the key events from day 469 of the war.
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Ammonia pipeline will take one to three months to repair: Russia
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova says repairing the damaged Togliatti-Odesa ammonia pipeline will take one to three months.
Earlier in the day, Moscow accused “Ukrainian saboteurs” of blowing up a section of the pipeline in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region.
The ammonia pipeline has been shut down since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year.
Moscow has said it will limit the number of ships allowed to travel to Ukraine’s Pivdennyi port near Odesa until the pipeline is restarted.
Zelenskyy speaks to Turkish counterpart over dam collapse
Zelenskyy spoke to his Turkish counterpart, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, about the environmental and humanitarian impact of the collapsed dam.
On Twitter, he wrote: “Had a phone call with the President of Turkiye RT Erdogan. Spoke about the humanitarian and environmental consequences of the Russian act of terrorism at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, including risks for ZNPP [Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant]. Handed over a list of Ukraine’s urgent needs to eliminate the disaster.
“Turkiye’s voice is important when it comes to the withdrawal of occupation troops from Ukrainian territory. It is also important when it comes to the return of our illegally detained citizens, in particular Crimean Tatars, and the continuation and expansion of the grain initiative.”
Erdogan told Zelenskyy that a negotiation method similar to the Black Sea grain export corridor, which Turkey mediated, could be pursued to address the dam issue, a statement from Erdogan’s office said.
Had a phone call with the President of 🇹🇷 Türkiye @RTErdogan. Spoke about the humanitarian and environmental consequences of the Russian act of terrorism at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, including risks for #ZNPP. Handed over a list of Ukraine's urgent needs to…
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 7, 2023