Dam burst in Kherson, flooding the region

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy put the blame on Russia, saying, "By destroying the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, the Russians have confirmed to the whole world that they must be expelled from every corner of Ukrainian territory." According to statements, while the dam collapse poses a threat to the Zaporizhzia Nuclear Power Plant, the situation at the plant is under control.

Images circulating on the Internet showed that a square in the town of Nova Kakhovka was flooded after the dam burst. 17,000 people were evacuated from the region.

A Ukrainian spokesman said that the Kakhovka dam was blown up by Russia to prevent Ukrainian forces from crossing the river. State of emergency declared in the region.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the damage to the Kakhovka dam damag was the result of Ukrainian sabotage.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called the attack “an outrageous act.” Stoltenberg said on Twitter that the attack “demonstrates once again the brutality of Russia’s war in Ukraine.” He also pointed out that the destruction of the dam “puts thousands of civilians at risk and causes severe environmental damage,” Anadolu reported.

“The destruction of civilian infrastructure clearly qualifies as a war crime”, European Council President Charles Michel wrote on Twitter, adding that he was shocked by this “unprecedented attack”.  “We will hold Russia and its proxies accountable,” he said.

Ukraine's Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin announced that a war crimes investigation has been launched into the attack on Nova Kakhovka, along with a possible "ecological destruction" investigation. Stating that Ukraine is collecting information with teams on the ground, Kostin said that they will give all the details to the International Criminal Court