After attacks on energy system, Russians want to deprive Ukrainians of water – Ukraine's Prime Minister
The Russians are releasing water from the Kakhovka Reservoir in order to deprive Ukrainians who receive water from the Dnipro river of access to water supply.
Source: Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal at a government meeting on Tuesday
Details: "Today, Russia is trying to make living conditions in Ukraine unbearable. 14 missile attacks on the Ukrainian energy sector. The last attack on the power system on February 10 lasted for more than a day. Missiles and drones were fired at 6 power facilities and 7 high-voltage substations of the main power grid," said the Prime Minister.
Power engineers have already managed to quickly supply power to consumers using backup schemes, and today minor grid restrictions are in place only in Odesa and the surrounding areas, as well as parts of Kherson and Kharkiv Oblasts.
"But the enemy does not stop. Now the Russians are trying to deprive Ukrainians of the access to water supply. After the partial destruction and deliberate opening of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant’s gates by the Russians, we lose thousands of cubic meters of water every day. As a result, 70% of the settlements that receive water from the Dnipro may be left without access to drinking water," added Shmyhal.
At the same time, the nuclear threat is even greater because a decrease in water level in a storage facility may lead to improper functioning of the cooling systems of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
"Ukraine calls for all available means to put pressure on Russia to close the gates and restore the hydraulic structures at the Kakhovka HPP – or allow Ukrainian specialists to do so. I appeal to our international partners and emphasise that otherwise we will face an environmental disaster that will have countless destructive consequences for the entire continent," emphasised the Prime Minister.
Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
