First victims of flooding and the advancement of the Ukrainian Defense Forces: highlights of June 7

Flooding continues

In Kherson Oblast, the intensity of flooding is decreasing, but due to significant damage to the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam, water is expected to continue to arrive. As of the evening, Ukraine managed to evacuate 1,894 people from Kherson and the region. Thirty settlements remain flooded, most of them on the government-controlled territory.

Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said that the occupiers are not evacuating themselves and are preventing the rescue of people on the left bank of Kherson Oblast. In the village of Kozachi Laheri, the locals tried to evacuate on their own, but the drunken occupants blocked all possible ways, the General Staff reported.

In the temporarily occupied city of Oleshky and the Oleshky community, the occupiers did not allow people to leave and obstructed volunteers. The mayor of Oleshky, Yevhen Ryshchuk, said that people were sitting on the roofs of their houses, and there were no boats in the town. Later, he said that there was information about the first deaths in the city due to flooding.

hromadske journalists learned that the Ukrainian military managed to evacuate several people from the “gray zone” in Kherson Oblast.

The banks in Mykolaiv have also begun to flood, and they are being reinforced. Snihurivka community and 13 settlements along the Inhulets River are now under the threat of flooding. The head of the region said that in Mykolaiv, the water level has risen by 70 cm, while the regional center is not in danger.

Consequences of flooding

Ukrenergo urged to consume electricity wisely and reduce the load on the system, especially during the peak evening hours from 19:00 to 22:00. The company is currently working with Ukrhydroenergo to develop scenarios for further balanced operation of the power system, taking into account the consequences of the destruction of Kakhovka HPP. The operation mode of hydroelectric power plants is being changed to reduce the volume of water entering the Kakhovka reservoir to reduce flooding.

The Ministry of Health of Ukraine warned of the risk of infectious diseases due to the explosion at the Kakhovka HPP. People are urged to drink only bottled or imported water, and to take water for household needs only from trusted sources. All recommendations are here.

Accusations of blowing up the hydroelectric power plant

Even though the Ukrainian authorities claimed that the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant was blown up by the occupiers, opened a criminal case, and provided information to the International Criminal Court, Western media and some politicians did not express unequivocal confidence in Russia's involvement. Some pro-Russian propagandists even accused Ukraine of being involved.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held phone conversations with the leaders of Ukraine and Russia regarding the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant. He stated that the investigation of the explosion at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant should be conducted in a way that leaves no room for doubt and proposed to create a commission with the participation of Russian and Ukrainian experts, the UN, and the international community, including Turkey.

Meanwhile, Russia decided to shift the blame for the shelling of the ammonia pipeline in Kharkiv Oblast to Ukraine. Two days after the first report of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration about the shelling of the pipeline, the Russian Defense Ministry accused “Ukrainian saboteurs” of blowing it up. Moreover, Russia reported injuries among the local population. Kharkiv authorities reported that no ammonia was detected in the air.

Advance of the Defense Forces

Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Hanna Maliar said that Ukrainian troops in the Bakhmut sector have moved from defense to offense and advanced 200 to 1,100 meters in different areas over the past 24 hours.

According to her, as of now, the regular army of the Russian Federation is engaged in combat operations, with air assault units involved. Wagner PMC mercenaries remain in some places in the rear units.

Other news

• Pope Francis, 86, has been hospitalized again to undergo abdominal surgery.
• The Swiss parliament supported the re-export of its weapons.
• Ukrainska Pravda published an investigation into the operation of restaurants in Kyiv during the curfew. In particular, Kyiv City State Administration official Oleksandr Nykoriak was spotted there – Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said he should resign. And Deputy Prosecutor General Mustets, who was also mentioned, says that this was not him in the video.
• The Turkish lira has fallen to a record low after the start of Erdogan's new presidential term.