Russia shells civilians fleeing flooding in Kherson Oblast, injuring eight

Evacuation of population continues in Kherson after Russians blow up Kakhovka hydroelectric power station
Evacuation of population continues in Kherson after Russians blow up Kakhovka hydroelectric power station

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Eight people were injured due to the attack.

Russian troops aimed at coastal and central areas of the city, Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.

There is no consistent data about the aftermath of the attack.

A woman, police officer, and rescuer were injured due to the Russian actions, said the Interior Ministry, while the Prosecutor General's Office said a person was killed and another two injured.

The information is being clarified.

Four more people were injured in a village in Kherson Oblast due to the Russian' shelling. The Prosecutor General's Office has started an investigation of violation of the laws or customs of war.

Read also: Average flooding exceeds 5.5 meters, Zelenskyy arrives in Kherson Oblast

Russian occupiers hit the area of the Korabelna Square in Kherson, the Graty outlet wrote. Journalists came under fire. It was an artillery shelling, said local outlet MOST, referring to Ukrainian journalist Rodion Krasnovyd. Artillery rounds hit a lake that has formed on the square, he said, adding that an unexploded shell remained in water.

The head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak called the Russians "typical terrorists."

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Kherson today where he held a meeting on eliminating the consequences of the disaster and went to an evacuation crossing.

Explosion at Kakhovka HPP — what is known

During the night of June 6, Russian forces blew up the Kakhovska Hydroelectric Power Station dam, triggering widespread flooding and posing a grave threat to downstream cities and towns along the Dnipro River, Ukrainian authorities say. The floodwaters were expected to peak around noon Kyiv time (GMT+3) on June 6, prompting the Kherson Oblast Military Administration to declare an urgent evacuation.

According to Ukrhydroenergo, the Kakhovka HPP has been completely destroyed and cannot be repaired. The dam itself was only partially – but significantly – damaged, the South Military Command said.

At an urgent meeting of the National Security and Defense Council, President Zelenskyy ordered the evacuation of at-risk areas and the provision of drinking water to towns and villages served by the affected Kakhovka Reservoir.

Read also: Drone footage shows ruins of Kakhovka dam, flooded areas two days after Russian attack

The evacuation of citizens in the affected areas on the right (western) bank of the Dnipro River has been ongoing throughout the night. Meanwhile, a humanitarian disaster is underway on the left bank, which is under Russian occupation and suffered a great deal more due to its lower elevation.

The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office has opened an investigation on the incident under the charge of ecocide. Ukraine has applied to the International Criminal Court over the dam breach.

Read also: Red Cross' inaction and the situation in Kherson Oblast through Katia Osadcha's view

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Russia's attack on the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant the largest man-made environmental disaster in Europe in decades.

Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence has said that the Russian demolition of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant increases the threat of a nuclear disaster.

Read also: Heartbreaking photos document flooded homes and neighborhoods across Kherson

In total, 20 settlements on the right bank of the Dnipro River were flooded, and more than 2,000 people were evacuated. Over 1,800 houses were flooded in the Korabelny district of Kherson.

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