It is premature to call Kakhovka HPP explosion Russia's war crime - UN

The representative of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Jeremy Laurence said this, Handelsblatt reports.

“As the circumstances of the incident remain unclear, it is premature to consider whether a war crime may have been committed. We reiterate our call for an independent, impartial, thorough and transparent investigation,” he said.

Laurence noted that the Russian side rejects requests for permission to visit the Ukrainian territories under occupation.

• On June 6, the occupying Russian army blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant. The UN stated that civilian infrastructure should not be a military target.

• On June 9, Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the UN said that it was impossible to investigate the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant under occupation.

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticized the UN and the Red Cross for their inaction in dealing with the aftermath of the flooding caused by the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant blown up by Russia