Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has accused Russia of planning to blow up a dam in order to flood a major portion of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson as its forces are withdrawn.
The intention, according to Zelensky, was to mine the Kakhovka hydroelectric power facility upstream from Kherson.
Thursday night, he stated in a video that the demolition of the dam would be catastrophic for the country.
Zelensky stated, “Destroying the dam would mean a large-scale disaster. If Russia is preparing such a terrorist attack, if it is seriously considering such a scenario, it means the terrorists are clearly aware that they will not be able to keep not only Kherson but also the entire south of our country, including Crimea.”
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Then, he asked for a “preventive response” to deter Russia from triggering a humanitarian crisis for the civilian population and depriving the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station of the water required to cool its reactors.
“We must now all together — all Europeans, all world leaders, all international organizations — make it clear to the terrorist state that such a terrorist attack on the Kakhovka HPP will mean exactly the same as the use of weapons of mass destruction,” he said. “The consequences for Russia should be corresponding.”