Extract from ABC News
Russian President Vladimir Putin called the destruction of the Kakhovka dam an "environmental and humanitarian catastrophe" during a call with Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan, the Kremlin cited him as saying on Wednesday.
Key points:
- Ukraine and Russia trade blame for the destruction of the dam
- Tens of thousands at risk from flooding in Russian and Ukrainian controlled areas along the Dnipro River
- Ukraine says it has made advances near the eastern city of Bakhmut
"Vladimir Putin stated that the Kyiv authorities, at the suggestion of their Western curators, are still making a dangerous bet on the escalation of hostilities, committing war crimes, openly using terrorist methods, and organising sabotage on Russian territory," the Kremlin quoted Mr Putin as saying.
During the same phone call, Mr Erdogan told Mr Putin that a comprehensive investigation was needed into the destruction of of the dam.
Mr Erdogan told Mr Putin that an international commission that includes the UN and Turkey could be formed to look into the issue, a statement from Mr Erdogan's office said.
Mr Erdogan earlier talked to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the same issue.
A torrent of water burst through the Nova Kakhovka dam on the Dnipro River on Tuesday, which separates Russian and Ukrainian forces in southern Ukraine.
Ukraine has accused Russia of blowing up the Nova Kakhovka dam in a deliberate war crime.
But the Kremlin says Ukraine sabotaged the dam to draw attention away from the launch of a major counteroffensive which Moscow says is faltering.
Some Russian-installed officials said the dam had collapsed on its own.
About 42,000 people were at risk from flooding in Russian and Ukrainian controlled areas along the Dnipro River, said Ukrainian officials, as the United Nations aid chief warned of "grave and far-reaching consequences".
Ukrainian officials said that some 80 communities in the overall Kherson region were at risk of flooding.
Ukraine warns over flooding impact
Ukraine warned of the danger of floating mines unearthed by flooding and the spread of disease and hazardous chemicals as senior officials inspected damage.
"Water is disturbing mines that were laid earlier, causing them to explode," Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said.
As a result of the flooding, chemicals and infectious bacteria were getting into the water, he said.
Ukrainian authorities have evacuated people from 24 flooded settlements and at least 20 settlements are flooded on territory occupied by Russian forces, Mr Kubrakov said.
"We see that the occupation authorities are not evacuating people," he said, calling for the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to help evacuate flood victims in Russian-occupied regions.
"It's one of the most terrifying terrorist acts of this war," he said.
The destruction of the dam will also flood tens of thousands of hectares of agricultural land in southern Ukraine and could turn at least 500,000 hectares of land left without irrigation into "deserts", the agriculture ministry said.
The dam's destruction has left 94 per cent of irrigation systems in Kherson, 74 per cent of those in Zaporizhzhia and 30 per cent of those in Dnipro regions without water, it said.
The ministry also quoted preliminary estimates indicating that around 10,000 hectares of agricultural land on the right bank of the Kherson region would be flooded.
"Several times more (land will be under water) on the left bank of the region, which is currently under occupation," the ministry said.
Ukraine says it's made advances in Bakhmut
Ukrainian troops have advanced up to 1,100 metres near the eastern city of Bakhmut in the past 24 hours, Kyiv said on Wednesday, the first gains it has reported since Russia said Ukraine had started a counteroffensive.
Moscow said this week Kyiv had launched a series of assaults in its partially occupied region of Donetsk, which it said it thwarted, and described them as the start of the planned Ukrainian counter-offensive.
Ukrainian officials have said little directly in response to the Russian assertions although a senior security official on Wednesday denied the broad counteroffensive had begun.
"We have made advances of from 200 to 1,100 metres (220-1,200 yards) on various sections (of the front line) in the Bakhmut direction over the past day," Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar wrote on Telegram messenger, without providing further details.
Ukrainian troops, she said, had been on the offensive in the area for several days and Russian troops were on a defensive footing, aiming to hold on to their positions.
"Our troops have switched from the defensive to the offensive in the direction of Bakhmut," Ms Maliar said.
Russia said last month its forces had captured Bakhmut, site of the longest and bloodiest battle since its February 2022 invasion, though Kyiv said it retained a small presence in the ruined city and was advancing on the flanks.
The Russian Defence Ministry said on Wednesday Ukraine had mounted attacks near Bakhmut, but that they had been unsuccessful.
Reuters was unable to independently verify the situation on the battlefield.
Ms Maliar said in separate, televised comments that Russia lacked forces in Bakhmut and was bringing in troops from other positions.
Kyiv hopes its counter-offensive will be a turning point in the war but has portrayed assaults under way as localised.
"When we start the counter-offensive, everyone will know about it, they will see it," Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council said.
Ukraine and Russia trade blame on damaged ammonia pipeline
A pipeline used to transport ammonia fertiliser from Russia via Ukraine that may be central to the future of the Black Sea grain deal has been damaged, according to both Kyiv and Moscow, potentially complicating talks around the accord.
Russia's defence ministry said a "Ukrainian sabotage group" had blown up a section of the pipeline on Monday night near the village of Masyutivka in Kharkiv region.
The village is on the frontline between Russian and Ukrainian troops.
"As a result of this terrorist act, there were civilian casualties. They have been provided with necessary medical assistance," the Russian ministry said in a statement.
"At present ammonia residues are being blown out of the damaged sections of the pipeline from Ukrainian territory. There are no casualties among Russian servicemen."
Oleh Sinehubov, the governor of Ukraine's Kharkiv region gave a different version of events.
He said in a statement posted on Telegram that Russian troops had shelled the pipeline.
Six Russian shells had landed near a pumping station near Masyutivka at around 5:45pm local time on Tuesday, nearly 24 hours after Moscow alleged Ukraine had blown up the same pipeline, he said.
Moscow said it will limit the number of ships allowed to travel to Ukraine's Pivdennyi port near Odesa under the deal until the pipeline is restarted.
In a briefing on Wednesday, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said it would take between one and three months to repair the damaged section of the pipeline.
"The ammonia pipeline was one of the linchpins of the implementation of the agreements made in Istanbul on July 22. The (pipeline) was key to global food security," Ms Zakharova said.
Reuters
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