Kirby: U.S. working with Ukrainians to gather more information on destruction of Nova Kakhovka dam

National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said this at a press briefing in Washington on Tuesday, June 6, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"We've been closely monitoring the impacts of that destruction, which has triggered massive flooding in Ukraine and resulted in the evacuation of at the very least thousands of Ukrainians. We know there are casualties, including likely many deaths, though these are early reports and we cannot quantify them right now," he said.

According to Kirby, Washington has seen the reports that Russia was responsible for the explosion at the dam, which, he said, Russian forces took over illegally last year and have been occupying since then.

"We are doing the best we can to assess those reports, and we are working with the Ukrainians to gather more information. We cannot say conclusively what happened at this point," he said.

Kirby said that the United States would continue to support Ukraine in any way it can, including by providing military, humanitarian and economic support.

In the early hours of June 6, Russian troops blew up the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant. The plant cannot be restored. People are being evacuated from flooded settlements.