Global Courant
Russia says it is ready to evacuate thousands of residents at risk of flooding
A satellite image of the Nova Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine after the blast.
Satellite image ©2023 Maxar Technologies.
Both Russia and Ukraine warn that thousands of people are at risk of potentially devastating flooding from damage to the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station in the partially Russian-occupied Kherson region.
Both sides accused each other of attacking the dam, and after initially downplaying the damage, a Russian official said preparations had been made for evacuations of the Russian-held territory if floodwaters rose significantly.
“Fourteen settlements, housing 22,000 people, are in the zone of possible flooding after the partial destruction of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station,” Andrey Alekseenko, the Russian-installed head of the Kherson region, told Telegram on Tuesday.
According to Alekseenko, Russia’s emergency ministry had said that the water level under the hydroelectric plant had risen from 2 to 4 meters, “which does not pose a threat to large settlements downstream of the river,” he said.
He said 14 settlements fell into the flood zone: Dnepryan, Korsunka, Krynki, Cossack Camps, Peschanovka, Alyoshki, Solonetsy, Kardashinka, Kokhany, Malaya Kardashinka, Naked Pristan, Belogrudove, Staraya Zburyevka, Zabarino and the islands on the Dnipro River.
“In total, more than 22 thousand people live in these settlements. The heads of the municipalities have organized to inform the population, prepare buses and places to house people, if it is necessary to evacuate residents of houses on the coast. evacuate,” he said, according to Google Translate.
Rescue workers had been sent to the region, he said, adding that “the situation is under complete control. Rely only on official information.”
Ukrainian officials blame Russian forces for blowing up the dam, while Russia blames Ukraine for carrying out “night attacks” on the structure. Ukraine previously warned of potentially devastating flooding in the area and called on residents in 11 areas to collect documents and supplies and leave.
It said the villages at risk: Mykolaivka, Olhivka, Lyovo, Tyaginka, Poniativka, Ivanivka, Tokarivka, Poniativka, Prydniprovske, Sadov and Korabel Island – part of the city of Kherson.
— Holly Ellyatt
Ukraine says destruction of major dam threatens Europe’s largest nuclear power plant
Ukraine’s state energy agency said the destruction of a major dam in a Russian-controlled area of the country poses an additional threat to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, but the situation is under control.
The Ukrainian Energoatom, according to a translation via Telegram, said that “the water level in the Kakhov reservoir is falling rapidly, posing an additional threat to the temporarily occupied” Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
“Water from the Kakhovka reservoir is needed to power the station for turbine capacitors and safety systems of the ZNPP. The cooling pond of the station is now full: as of 8:00 am, the water level is 16.6 meters, which is sufficient for the needs from the station,” the agency said.
Separately, the International Atomic Energy Agency said via Twitter that it is aware of the reported damage to the dam and that experts are closely monitoring the situation at the nuclear power plant. The UN nuclear watchdog added that there was no “immediate security risk” at the site.
—Sam Meredith
Ukraine says major dam ‘blown up’ by Russian troops, begins evacuations
Ukraine has begun evacuating residents in parts of the southern Kherson region after warning that the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station had been “blown up” by Russian forces on Tuesday.
Ukrainian officials warned of potentially devastating flooding in the area and called on residents in 11 areas to leave.
“The water level is rising and anyone in the danger zone must: Turn off all electrical appliances Take documents and supplies Take care of loved ones and pets Follow the instructions of rescuers and police officers,” the Ukrainian interior ministry said.
Ukraine’s Armed Forces Southern Command said on its Facebook page that the facility was “blown up” by Russian forces and that “the extent of the destruction, the speed and volume of the water and the likely areas of flooding are being clarified.”
CNBC and NBC News have been unable to independently verify Ukraine’s claims.
Russia denied damaging the dam, claiming instead that Ukraine had undermined the structure. Vladimir Leontiev, the Russian-installed mayor of Nova Kakhovka, the city where the dam is located, said that “night attacks” on the facility “had led to the destruction of the valves” and that “water from the Kakhovka reservoir began to flow uncontrollably drained downstream,” he said, Russian state news agency TASS reported.
Leontiev said there was still no need to evacuate the residents of Nova Kakhovka, but said “we are preparing for the worst consequences, but we hope they won’t happen.” He had initially denied that there was any damage to the dam.
Mon, June 5, 20233 a.m. EDT
Russia says it foiled a large-scale Ukrainian offensive in Donetsk
Russian Defense Ministry said on Telegram that his forces fought back a full-scale Ukrainian offensive along five points south of the annexed Ukrainian region of Donetsk on Sunday morning, according to a Google translation.
Russia said Ukraine deployed six mechanized battalions and two tank battalions as part of the offensive.
“The enemy’s aim was to break through our defenses in what he believed to be the most vulnerable sector of the front,” the Russian ministry said. “The enemy has not completed his tasks, he has not succeeded.”
CNBC was unable to independently verify those claims.
The daily report of the Ukrainian General Staff not listed until Monday that 29 clashes took place near the Luhansk and Donetsk regions on Sunday, according to a Google translation.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has not published any public statements related to the alleged attack. Kyiv’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov posted on Twitter on Sunday lyrics from the song “Enjoy the Silence” by Depeche Mode, stating “Words are very unnecessary / They can only do harm”, alongside a GIF of a soldier mimicking an attempt at silence.
— Ruxandra Iordache
Mon, June 5, 20233:01 a.m. EDT
Ukraine says it destroyed a Russian position near Bakhmut
The commander of Ukraine’s ground forces said on Monday that Kiev destroyed a Russian position near the disputed city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.
“The armed forces are at work. We keep moving forward,” said Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Telegramaccording to a Google translation.
CNBC was unable to independently verify developments on the ground.
Bakhmut is of both symbolic and strategic importance to Russia, providing a springboard for Moscow’s troops to enter the cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk in the Donetsk region.
— Ruxandra Iordache
Mon, June 5, 20233:09 a.m. EDT
Turkey, Finland and Sweden will discuss the Stockholm NATO bid on June 12
Turkey, Finland and Sweden will meet on June 12 to discuss Stockholm’s bid to join NATO’s military alliance, which has so far been stalled by Ankara’s objections, according to a The NATO statement was released on Sunday.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg addresses a joint press conference with the Swedish Prime Minister in Stockholm on March 7, 2023, after meeting all Swedish party leaders in favor of Swedish NATO membership.
Jonathan Nackstrand | AFP | Getty Images
The announcement followed a meeting of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and newly re-elected Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul.
After the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden abandoned their long-standing policy of political neutrality and jointly applied for NATO membership in June last year. Finland was accepted and joined the military organization in April.
Stockholm’s entry has been delayed by Turkish concerns that Sweden harbors militants from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which has been labeled a terrorist organization by Ankara, the United States, the EU and others.
Mon, June 5, 20233:04 a.m. EDT
Belgorod governor says power plant on fire after drone attack
A power plant was set on fire after a drone strike in the Russian city of Belgorod, near the Ukrainian border, Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram at nightaccording to a Google translation.
He added that services were not shut down.
Belgorod has suffered from both Ukrainian and domestic offensives in recent days. Earlier, an anti-Kremlin Russian paramilitary group, the Russian Volunteer Corps, had offered on Telegram on Sunday to hand over two captured Russian soldiers to Gladkov, if the governor personally came to receive them in the place Novaya Tavolzhanka.
Reuters reported that Gladkov had said he accepted the offer – but the pro-Ukrainian group said later the meeting never took place, according to a Google translation.
— Ruxandra Iordache
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