Ukraine summons UN Security Council meeting over explosion at Kakhovka HPP

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry reported this.

"We call on the international community to resolutely condemn the Russian terrorist attack on the Kakhovka HPP. The technological crime of the Russian Federation confirms the high relevance of the Peace Formula of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. We call on international partners to join its implementation as soon as possible, in particular the points on countering ecocide, nuclear and energy security," the statement reads.

It is emphasized that Russia will have to compensate for all the consequences of its crime.

Ukraine has also appealed to the Group of Seven countries and the European Union to immediately consider imposing new sanctions on Russia, particularly on the Russian missile and nuclear industries.

"Following the meeting of the NSDC in the morning of June 6, the list of actions of the MFA of Ukraine in the context of response, proposed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba, was approved. In particular, it includes the convening by Ukraine of an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council and bringing the issue of the Russian terrorist attack to the meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors, as well as the engagement of the Civil Protection Mechanism of the European Union," the press service added.

Previously, the head of Ukrainian diplomacy, Dmytro Kuleba, expressed his concern that some Western media outlets were placing Russian propaganda on a par with the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant explosion and hinting at the possible involvement of our country.

"Infuriating to see some media report “Kyiv and Moscow accusing each other” of ruining the Kakhovka dam. It puts facts and propaganda on equal footing. Ukraine is facing a huge humanitarian and environmental crisis. Ignoring this fact means playing Russia’s “not all obvious” game," Kuleba said.

Context

On Monday, at 06:00 am, the Russian occupying forces had blown up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, situated 5 km away from the seized Nova Kakhovka. The explosion resulted in the complete destruction of the engine room. Ukrhydroenergo, Ukraine’s hydropower generating company, has stated that the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant is irreparable. Based on initial estimates, experts expect the reservoir to deplete within the following 4 days.

As a result, the South Operational Command reports that the evacuation of residents from high-risk areas in the Kherson region has started. Efforts are underway to assess the extent of the damage, the rate and volume of water release, and the potential areas of flooding. All relevant services are responding and monitoring the situation.

Furthermore, water from the Kakhovka reservoir is crucial for supplying the turbine condensers and safety systems of the ZNPP. Ukrainian personnel are monitoring all relevant indicators in this regard. Energoatom, Ukraine's state power company, is monitoring Russian troops at the ZNPP, in collaboration with other international organizations present at the facility, including the IAEA. If the situation changes, Energoatom promised to promptly report on the situation.

Information available regarding the Kakhovka HPP

On February 24 of last year, Russian troops took control of the main structure of the North Crimean Canal and the Kakhovka HPP.

The Kakhovka HPP is situated approximately 5 km away from the Russian-occupied Nova Kakhovka. The Kakhovka reservoir serves as the water source for the North Crimean Canal, which has been reopened by Russian troops since the start of the invasion. The canal's water intake is conducted at the Kakhovka reservoir.

The HPP is the lower and last (sixth) stage in the Dnipro reservoir cascade. The hydroelectric power plant near Nova Kakhovka ensures the annual regulation of the Dnipro river flow to ensure that the southern part of Ukraine has power and water.

On October 20, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia was preparing to stage a new large-scale terrorist attack - to blow up the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant in Kherson region. At the same time, he listed other consequences that could result from the explosion of the Kakhovka HPP and its dam:

• hundreds of thousands of residents in southern Ukraine are currently at risk within the danger zone and may face severe consequences as a result of the intentionally provoked flood.

• water supply to a large part of southern Ukraine and Crimea may be disrupted

• the Russian terrorist attack could potentially deprive the ZNPP of the essential water supply needed for cooling, given that the ZNPP relies on water sourced from the Kakhovka reservoir 

• the overall destructive environmental, humanitarian, and man-made consequences of such a terrorist attack would reach the scale of a "historical catastrophe"

Later, in response to Russia's preparations for a terrorist attack on the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, Halyna Luhova, the head of the Kherson City Military Administration, directly addressed the people of Kherson. In order to ensure preparedness for a potential dam explosion at the reservoir, she released a detailed action plan outlining the necessary steps to be taken.