Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Russia is planning a “false-flag” attack on a hydroelectric power plant in southern Ukraine that would cause a “large-scale disaster”.
Ukraine’s president accused Moscow of planting mines at the dam at the Kakhovka plant in the Kherson region to potentially flood 80 towns and cities, including the Russian-occupied city of Kherson on which Ukrainian troops are advancing.
He told the European Council the apparent plot to attack the dam in the city of Nova Kakhovka on the Dnipro river around 44 miles from Kherson city was aimed at framing Ukraine for the devastating humanitarian and ecological disaster that would ensue.
As well as potentially causing mass deaths from flooding it could deprive the whole of southern Ukraine, including Crimea, of its water supply. Mr Zelensky said it could leave the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest nuclear facility, without the water necessary to cool its facilities.
Addressing the nation last night, he said: “Now everyone in the world must act powerfully and quickly to prevent a new Russian terrorist attack. Destroying the dam would mean a large-scale disaster.”
He added: “We must now all together - all Europeans, all world leaders, all international organizations - make it clear to the terrorist state that such a terrorist attack on the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant will mean exactly the same as the use of weapons of mass destruction.”
On Wednesday, the respected Institute for the Study of War think tank reported that Moscow may be planning an attack on the dam which it would blame on Ukraine. It suggested that such an attack could be a means to distract from a Russian withdrawal from Kherson as Ukrainian forces arrive for a battle to retake the city.
It is the only regional capital to have fallen to Moscow’s forces since the invasion began on February 24 and defeat there would be another major blow to president Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
A Russian-installed official in the region claimed yesterday Ukrainian forces had launched five missile strikes against the Kakhovka dam.
The Moscow-appointed deputy regional governor Kirill Stremousov said today four people were killed when Ukrainian rocket artillery struck a ferry crossing in the city of Kherson, where officials are “evacuating” civilians ahead of the arrival of Ukrainian troops.
Ukraine’s south-eastern city of Zaporizhzhia and second largest city of Kharkiv were also hit by missile strikes today, according to reports. There were no immediate details of casualties.
Meanwhile the White House has said Iran has deployed military experts in Russian-occupied Crimea to help launch drone attacks on Ukraine.
“Kamikaze” drones deployed by Russia but believed to be Iranian-made have devastated Ukraine’s power infrastructure in recent days.
A “relatively small” number of Iranians are providing technical support and Russians are piloting the drones in Ukraine, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said.
“Tehran is now directly engaged on the ground, and through the provision of weapons that are impacting civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine,” Mr Kirby said.
