Russia urgently overcomes the consequences of the Kakhovka dam collapse

SGGP 12/06/2023 08:16

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has signed a decree establishing a government committee to address the aftermath of the flooding in Kherson province following the collapse of the Kakhovka dam. In addition to urgently dealing with the dam failure, Russia is also facing counterattacks by Western-backed Ukrainian forces in eastern and southern Ukraine.

Russian Emergency Situations Ministry personnel rescue flood victims in Kherson. Photo: SPUTNIK

Severe damage

The Russian cabinet website states that the committee is headed by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin. The committee also includes the State Secretary for Civil Defense, Emergency Situations and Disaster Relief Alexander Kurenkov, the Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology Alexander Kozlov, the Acting Governor of Kherson Oblast Vladimir Saldo... and representatives from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Transport .

According to TASS, as of June 11, Russian Emergency Situations Ministry personnel had delivered 75 tons of food and 30 tons of bottled water to the flooded areas in the Kherson region. Approximately 49,000 cubic meters of water have been pumped out of the Novaya Kakhovka area, the hardest hit. The ministry also reported that since the rescue operation began, more than 6,000 people have been evacuated, including 235 children and 81 people with mobility impairments. The destruction of the dam has caused serious environmental damage, washing away agricultural land along the Dnieper River and increasing the risk of the North Crimean Canal drying up. Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of deliberately destroying the dam.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it is rapidly delivering essential medical supplies to flooded areas in Kherson province and is preparing to respond to a range of health risks including drowning, waterborne diseases such as cholera, and psychological trauma. In a Telegram post, the head of the Russian-controlled Kherson region, Andrey Alekseenko, said that preliminary estimates put the initial damage from the Kakhovka dam collapse at 11.5 billion rubles (approximately $138 million), and that this figure is expected to rise significantly.

The stalemate in eastern and southern Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged on June 11 that the military had engaged in “counter-offensive and defensive operations.” According to Reuters, the Russian Ministry of Defence stated that Ukrainian forces had made “unsuccessful” counter-offensive attempts in the southern Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions over the past 24 hours – two areas experiencing intense fighting. The British Ministry of Defence said Ukraine had conducted “significant” operations in several eastern and southern regions over the past 48 hours, and in some areas, Ukrainian forces may have made good progress and breached Russia’s first line of defense. The Ukrainian counter-offensive utilizes thousands of Western-trained and equipped soldiers, but Russia has built massive fortifications in eastern and southern Ukraine to counter it, while Kyiv also lacks air superiority.

Earlier, according to TASS, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the Ukrainian counteroffensive had begun. The Russian president noted particularly fierce fighting over the past five days, with Russian troops struggling to hold their positions, and that Ukrainian forces had suffered significantly heavier casualties. The Russian leader also acknowledged that Moscow's military is facing a shortage of modern weapons, while expressing hope that the country's military industry will soon meet the growing demand.

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