White House 'assessing' if dam attack is war crime, monitoring impacts

John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council has said the US is “assessing” the attack on the Kakhovka HPP dam, the Guardian reports.

He was asked if the Biden administration considers it a war crime:

“We’re still trying to assess what happened here, but the Russians had illegally taken over that dam in the reservoir many months ago, and they were occupying it when this explosion happened,” Kirby said.

Kirby wouldn't say if the US has concluded that Russia is behind the destruction, or if it was even an intentional attack.

“It’s very clear that the deliberate destruction of civilian infrastructure is not allowed by the laws of war, and in the additional protocol to the Geneva Convention destruction of civilian infrastructure, such as dams, are clearly articulated in their violations of that code.But again, we haven’t made a decision. We’re still talking to the Ukrainians,” he added.

The dam's collapse could “have a devastating impact on Ukraine's energy security, and it will certainly have an impact on Ukraine's canal system,” Kirby said.

• On Tuesday, June 6, Russian occupation forces blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, completely destroying it. Evacuation of residents from dangerous areas began, and the President of Ukraine convened an emergency meeting of the Security and Defense Council. For a detailed account of the events, follow this link.