President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited affected areas under Ukrainian control on Thursday to evaluate the emergency response, as Russian-installed officials reported the first deaths from the disaster.
Ukraine blames Russia for the destruction of the dam and several of Kyiv’s allies have called the incident a war crime, but the Kremlin has denied any involvement.
Zelenskyy has urged allies to offer aid and assistance in evacuating people and providing essential supplies. French President Emmanuel Macron said his country would “send aid to meet immediate needs” on Wednesday.
June 7, 202301:16
Huge swathes of land are underwater in a largely rural part of Ukraine, with entire towns now isolated and facing dangers including dislodged land mines and waterborne diseases.
A highly complex series of irrigation systems used water from the river to water crops across the region, bolstering Ukraine’s reputation as one of the biggest food exporters in the world, with some 33 million hectares of farmland. But officials fear much of the region’s farmland may now be ruined.
“The destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station will lead to the fact that fields in the south of Ukraine may turn into deserts next year,” Ukraine’s agriculture ministry said in a statement Tuesday.
Light and heavy industry could be clearly seen to have been immerse in the floods in the Maxar images.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
