Explosion of Kakhovka HPP, shelling of ammonia pipeline, hearings at International Court of Justice: today's highlights
The Russian occupation forces blew up the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, threatening to flood up to 80 settlements. The occupiers have also been shelling an ammonia pipeline in Kharkiv Oblast for two days. Meanwhile, the International Court of Justice in The Hague has begun considering Ukraine's lawsuit against Russia. We have collected the key news for June 6.
Blowing up the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant
On the night of June 6, the occupiers blew up the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the dam's explosion caused serious natural, social, and humanitarian challenges.
In particular, 35-80 settlements are expected to be flooded. The issue of providing residents with drinking water, which will be needed not only in the flooded areas but also in neighboring regions, is being addressed, the President added.
Ukrhydroenergo reported that the hydroelectric power plant cannot be restored, as the engine room was destroyed by the explosion from the inside. Energoatom and the IAEA reported that there is no immediate risk to ZNPP's safety due to the explosion, but the plant is discussing further measures.
The Security Service of Ukraine has already opened criminal proceedings under articles on ecocide and violation of the customs of war.
Ukrhydroenergo CEO Ihor Syrota said that according to rough estimates, it would take up to a billion dollars and 5 years to restore the plant.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant is “another devastating consequence of Russia's invasion of Ukraine”. However, he added that the UN does not have access to information to independently verify the cause of the destruction.
Evacuation from Kherson Oblast
Evacuations have been announced from several settlements in Kherson Oblast as a result of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant explosion.
People are taken by bus to Kherson, then to Mykolaiv, and from there to Khmelnytskyi, Odesa, Kropyvnytskyi, Kyiv, and other cities. The authorities are urging people to pack the most necessary things and wait for evacuation buses.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs said that the Russian occupation forces continued to shell Kherson even during the evacuation of civilians.
As of 19:20, 1364 people have been evacuated. On the right bank of Kherson Oblast, 1,335 houses are underwater.
Meanwhile, the Kazkova Dibrova Zoo in occupied Nova Kakhovka reported that about 300 animals – monkeys, ponies, raccoons, sheep, parrots, and many other inhabitants of the menagerie – died due to the flooding. Only a couple of swans and ducks survived.
“We have been trying to save the animals for a year. The animals were blocked in the park. The park was mined, all roads were blocked, and evacuation of the animals was impossible,” the zoo representatives said.
International Court of Justice hearings
On June 6, the International Court of Justice in The Hague began hearing Ukraine's lawsuit against Russia over its violation of two UN conventions – on combating terrorism and discrimination based on nationality.
Ukraine emphasizes that since 2014, Russia, in violation of its obligations under the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism (ICSFT), has provoked and supported an armed uprising against the Ukrainian government in the east of the country.
Ukraine also notes that Russia has created “an atmosphere of violence and intimidation of non-Russian ethnic groups” in Crimea, violating its obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD).
Shelling of an ammonia pipeline
On June 6, the Russians shelled the ammonia pipeline in Kupiansk Raion, Kharkiv Oblast, for the second time. A total of 6 hits were recorded near the pumping station near the village of Masiutivka.
Oleh Syniehubov, the head of the Regional Military Administration, said that as of 21:20, no ammonia was detected in the air, and the situation was under control.
Drinking water
On June 6, the Cabinet of Ministers allocated UAH 120 million to the State Agency of Water Resources to ensure a sustainable supply of drinking water to Mykolaiv residents.
The water will be supplied through the Inhulets River channel in a special mode of operation.
In addition, the government has developed new solutions in connection with the Russian explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant. In particular, UAH 1.5 billion will be allocated for the construction of two new water mains.
Other news for the day:
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the special representative of Pope Francis, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who heads the Vatican's peacekeeping mission in Ukraine;
- Crimean artist Bohdan Ziza, who last year poured blue and yellow paint on the door of the “city administration” of occupied Yevpatoriia, was sentenced to 15 years in prison;
- The Czech Republic will soon start repairing Ukrainian T-64 tanks;
- A former deputy of the Kyiv Regional Council was notified of suspicion of concealing property in his 2020 e-declaration worth more than UAH 27 million;
- Monks of the UOC-MP were ordered to leave 79 objects of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra in three days;
- Two soldiers and a doctor who had been spying for Russia for more than a year were exposed at the Yavoriv training ground in Lviv Oblast;
- In Cologne, a court ordered pro-Russian activist Olena Kolbasnikova, a native of Dnipro, who organized actions in support of Russia in Germany, to pay a 900 euro fine;
- Finland deports nine employees of the Russian embassy who were performing tasks for Russian intelligence.
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