Kiev confident in counter-offensive, reveals casualties after Kakhovka dam collapse

France believes in Ukraine's success, and many countries are working together to overcome the aftermath of the Kakhovka dam collapse – these are some of the latest developments regarding the situation in Ukraine.

(06.13) Ukraine nêu thương vong từ vụ vỡ đập Kakhovka. (Nguồn: AP)

Ukraine says the collapse of the Kakhovka dam has killed 10 people and left 41 others missing. (Source: AP)

* On June 12, referring to the counteroffensive in his daily address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized: “The fight is very difficult, but we are moving forward, which is very important… I thank the soldiers who have helped to gradually return all Ukrainian flags to their rightful place in the villages of the newly liberated territories.” This statement was made by the leader after Ukraine announced the recapture of seven villages from Russia.

Meanwhile, speaking at a joint press conference with the leaders of Germany and Poland, French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that Ukraine's long-awaited counterattack had begun several days earlier. He noted that this was meticulously planned by the Eastern European country's military generals with a high level of tactical awareness.

At the same time, the French President also pledged: “We have done everything to help them… We have increased the supply of ammunition, weapons and armed vehicles… We will continue to do this in the coming time.”

* Regarding the Kakhovka dam collapse, writing on Telegram on June 12, Ukrainian Interior Minister Igor Klymenko stated: “Currently, we know about 10 people died in the city of Kherson and this region. We are also reporting 41 missing people.”

In response to that situation, writing on Facebook , the Ukrainian Rescue Service said: " The Government of the Republic of Moldova has provided humanitarian relief goods to the Emergency Rescue Service of Ukraine to overcome the consequences of the man-made dam collapse disaster at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant."

Specifically, Chisinau provided the rescue forces of the neighboring country in Eastern Europe with a series of humanitarian relief goods, including high-capacity pumps, plastic boats, inflatable boats and rubber boots.

Israel also sent hundreds of thousands of liters of drinking water and more than 10 tons of food to the Kherson region to help victims affected by the dam collapse. Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen was directly involved in this plan. He stated: “Israel will continue to help Ukraine and its people… We consider this a high moral value.”

In particular, at the initiative of the Israeli Embassy in Ukraine and the Agency for International Relations Development Cooperation (MASHAV) of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs , the above goods were purchased locally and distributed to people in flooded areas by Ukrainian organizations.

* In related news, on June 12, Ukrainian lawyers at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) rejected Russia's explanation of the MH17 plane crash as a conspiracy theory. This is part of Kyiv's lawsuit against Moscow for supporting separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and discriminating against Crimean Tatars.

Specifically, Ukraine believes that Russia violated the United Nations (UN) anti-terrorism treaty by arming and funding pro-Russian forces, including the militia that shot down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, killing all 298 passengers and crew in 2014.

Previously, in November 2022, a Dutch court tried in absentia and sentenced two Russians and one Ukrainian separatist to life imprisonment for their involvement in the downing of the plane. The court declared that Russia had “total control” over separatist forces in Ukraine. At the time, Russia rejected the ruling. Last week, in hearings before the ICJ, Russia argued that the declaration was based on “nonsense” and offered a range of alternative explanations for what happened.

Ukraine accuses Russia of being a “terrorist state,” seeking to eradicate the culture of both Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians. However, Moscow rejects these accusations, asserting that it fulfills its obligations under the UN treaty on combating the sponsorship of terrorism. Russia will now have one last opportunity to respond to Ukraine's accusations on June 15th.

The case began in 2017 and was filed before the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The ICJ is expected to issue a ruling on the case before the end of this year.

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