European Parliament condemns destruction of Kakhovka HPP dam by Russian army

This is said in the European Parliament resolution on the sustainable reconstruction and integration of Ukraine into the Euro-Atlantic community, which was adopted today by an overwhelming majority of votes at the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“The European Parliament… condemns in the strongest possible terms the destruction by Russia of the Kakhovka dam on 6 June 2023, which brought about extensive flooding, caused an environmental disaster and ecocide in Ukraine and constitutes a war crime; reiterates that all those responsible for such war crimes, including the destruction of the dam, will be held accountable in line with international law,” the document says.

MEPs called on the European Commission and Ukraine's international partners to provide all the essential assistance required in the flooded area, in particular equipment and machinery for relief efforts, drinking water and food.

They also expressed alarm that the destruction of the Kakhovka dam could also jeopardise the safety of the Zaporizhzhia NPP, which could cause a serious risk of a large-scale nuclear incident in Europe.

European politicians supported the creation of a special international monitoring mission to record the environmental consequences caused by Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine, with the aim of establishing a legal basis for collecting appropriate compensation from Russia.

“The Kakhovka dam, located on the Dnipro river in the Russian-occupied part of southern Ukraine, was deliberately destroyed in an act of terrorism on 6 June 2023. The blast resulted in a massive breach in the dam, with water flooding downstream in the direction of Kherson,” the report says.

According to the resolution, the Russian actions forced the evacuation of the local civilian population, destroyed infrastructure, homes and wildlife, and led to water being contaminated with industrial chemicals and oil.

“Tens of thousands of hectares of agricultural land have been damaged and the draining of the Kakhovka Reservoir will leave 584 000 hectares of agricultural land unirrigated; whereas the vast reservoir provided cooling water for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (NPP) and the decrease in water levels poses an additional threat to it,” the document says.

As reported, on the night of June 6, the Russian army blew up the Kakhovka HPP dam. Rescue operations and measures to eliminate the aftermath of this crime are ongoing in Kherson region. Law enforcers launched an investigation under the article "ecocide".

Ukrhydroenergo, Ukraine's hydropower generating company, said that the plant had been destroyed and cannot be restored.