Disaster at Kakhovka HPP caused by Russian terrorists will not stop Ukraine – Zelensky

Each Russian act of terrorism increases only the amount of reparations that Russia will pay for its crimes, not the chances of the occupiers to stay on Ukrainian land.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this in a daily address, Ukrinform reports.

Dear Ukrainians!

This day, which began with an urgent meeting of the National Security and Defense Council, continued with a meeting of the Staff. We are waiting for a meeting of the UN Security Council.

The disaster at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant caused by Russian terrorists will not stop Ukraine and Ukrainians. We will still liberate all our land. And each Russian act of terrorism increases only the amount of reparations that Russia will pay for its crimes, not the chances of the occupiers to stay on our land.

First of all, I am grateful to all our rescuers, military, representatives of local communities, each of our regions, who are now helping people from our southern regions flooded by the Russian terrorist attack.

Second, the government at all levels is doing everything to save people and provide drinking water to those who received it from the Kakhovka reservoir. Kryvyi Rih and the entire Dnipropetrovsk region, cities and villages in Kherson, Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia regions – no matter how difficult it is, we have to help people.

Third, I am grateful to everyone who is currently evacuating people from the towns and villages flooded by water from the Kakhovka reservoir. It is very important now to take care of each other and help as much as possible.

Fourth, the whole world will know about this Russian war crime, the crime of ecocide. This deliberate destruction of the dam and other HPP facilities by the Russian occupiers is an environmental bomb of mass destruction. For the sake of their own security, the world should now show that Russia will not get away with such terror. And I am grateful to all leaders and states, all nations and international organizations that have supported Ukraine and are ready to help our people and our de-occupation efforts. The Prosecutor General has already appealed to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to involve international justice in the investigation of the dam explosion.

Today I spoke with IAEA Director Grossi, in particular about what happened to the Kakhovka reservoir and the general situation with the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. I called on the IAEA Director to directly and unequivocally condemn today's Russian act of terrorism and to maximize our efforts to liberate the ZNPP. We agreed on his visit to Ukraine.

Fifth, it is only the complete liberation of Ukrainian land from Russian occupiers that will guarantee that such acts of terrorism will not happen again. Russia uses anything for terror – any object. The terrorist state must lose.

I want to say a few more things separately. Regarding our south and Crimea. We will find a way to restore normal life on our land after the expulsion of the ruscists. This applies to water and everything else. This applies to all our regions – from Kherson to Dnipropetrovsk, from Mykolaiv to Crimea.

The fact that Russia deliberately destroyed the Kakhovka reservoir, which is critically important, in particular, for providing water to Crimea, indicates that the Russian occupiers have already realized that they will have to flee Crimea as well.

Well, Ukraine will get back everything that belongs to it. And it will make Russia pay for what it has done.

Glory to all our people who are fighting and working for the sake of our country and our people!

Today, just like yesterday, I would like to celebrate our heroes in the Bakhmut sector... Well done, warriors! The 3rd separate assault brigade and the 57th separate motorized infantry brigade - thank you! Thank you for moving forward!

Glory to Ukraine!

Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine