Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 471

This is the situation as it stands on Friday, June 9, 2023

Nova Kakhovka dam breach

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited areas flooded by the breach of the Nova Kakhovka dam amid warnings of the dangers from floating mines, hazardous chemicals in the floodwaters and the spread of disease.
• Zelenskyy said dead bodies were floating in the water following the collapse of the Soviet-era dam.
• Regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said flooding from the dam breach covered more than 600 square kilometres (232 square miles) on the Ukrainian-held right bank of the Dnipro and the Russian-held left bank. The average level of flooding is 5.61 metres [18.4 feet], Prokudin said.
• NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged the security alliance to speed up humanitarian assistance to Ukraine following a briefing on the dam breach by Ukraine’s foreign minister.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) rushed emergency supplies to the country.
• Ukraine accused Russia of shelling flood-hit areas as people tried to evacuate, saying at least one person was killed and eight people wounded in Kherson. Earlier, Russia accused Ukraine of shelling rescue workers in Russian-occupied areas.
• Flood data analysis from ICEYE, a satellite monitoring firm, showed several towns and villages along the Dnipro river (Nova Kakhovka, Antonivka, Oleshky, Solontsi, and other areas) either partially or completely flooded by the water from the dam.

• The Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant continued to receive water from the Kakhovka Reservoir, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.
• The World Bank said it would conduct a rapid assessment of damage and needs resulting from the dam’s destruction.

Fighting

• Eight people were injured after two missiles hit sites near the city of Uman in central Ukraine, according to regional governor Ihor Taburets.
• Russian shelling killed three people, including a four-year-old boy, in the town of Ukrainsk in Donetsk, according to regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko.
• Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said his forces repelled an attempt by Ukrainian troops to break through in the Zaporizhia region. Shoigu said Russian soldiers repelled four Ukrainian attacks and claimed Kyiv’s troops were forced to retreat “with heavy losses”.

Diplomacy

• South Africa said it was open to hosting peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, as Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed an African peace mission to Moscow.
• Speaking at a joint press conference, United States President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reiterated their commitment to helping Ukraine repel Russia’s invasion “for as long as it takes”.
• Oleg Orlov, a leader of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights group Memorial and one of Russia’s most respected human rights campaigners, went on trial on allegations of discrediting Russia’s armed forces. He faces three years in jail if found guilty.
• Kyiv told the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that Moscow violated a UN anti-terrorism treaty by equipping and funding pro-Russian forces, including militias, who in 2014 shot down MH17, killing all 298 people on board.

• The Russian foreign ministry said it would respond to what it called Romania’s “hostile” decision to reduce Russia’s diplomatic presence in the country.
• Britain announced new sanctions against Belarus for its role in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including a ban on imports of gold, cement, wood and rubber from the country.

Weapons

• Slovakia’s defence ministry said Germany would donate two MANTIS short-range air defence systems to the country to help bolster its eastern border with Ukraine.