World
US intelligence indicates Russia being responsible for Ukraine dam attack: Report
US intelligence is “leaning towards” Russia being the culprit behind the attack on the major Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine, which Kyiv and Moscow have blamed each other for, NBC News reported.
“The Biden administration is working to declassify some of its intelligence and share it – with a motive still being assessed,” NBC News reported.
The dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, which is in an area occupied by Russia, collapsed on Tuesday, flooding nearby villages, damaging crops, and compromising drinking water reserves. Russia and Ukraine initiated evacuation operations to move people away from the flooded areas. Both sides pointed the finger of the blame at the other with the accusation of deliberately attacking the dam.
At the UN, Kyiv and Moscow exchanged accusations of culpability, while the US declared the attack on the dam was an outcome of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Deputy US Ambassador to the UN, Robert Wood, told the Security Council: “It was Russia that started this war, it was Russia that occupied this area of Ukraine, and it was Russian forces that took over the dam illegally last year and have been occupying ever since.”
He added: “While investigations are underway, I will say again: The latest humanitarian, agricultural, energy, and environmental crisis would not even exist had Russia not launched its brutal war against Ukraine.”
Ukraine’s UN Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya said Russia “detonated a bomb of mass environmental destruction, which has led to the largest man-made disaster in Europe in decades.”
He labeled the dam attack a terrorist act as part of Moscow’s scorched-earth tactics: “The explosion of the dam of the Kakhovka HPP is an act of ecological and technological terrorism, the biggest technological disaster in Europe in recent decades, and yet another example of Russia's genocide against Ukrainians.”
Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused Ukraine of being responsible for the attack on the dam. He said: “Kyiv’s deliberate sabotage attack against a vital infrastructure facility is extremely dangerous and, in essence, may fall into the category of war crimes or terror attacks.”
The Russian envoy claimed that top military Ukrainian officials had declared plans to destroy the dam back in 2022. “I underscore that as early as last year, leaders of Ukrainian military publicly claimed ready to blast the dam in order to obtain some military advantage.”
For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Read more:
Zelenskyy says dam destruction will not affect Ukraine’s counter-offensive
Europe’s largest man-made disaster vs terrorism: Russia, Ukraine trade blame over dam
Ukraine, Russia accuse each other of destructing dam at UN, US remains uncertain