Putin's press secretary comments on Russia's decision not to allow UN mission to left bank of Kherson Oblast

Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for the Russian dictator, has said that the Russian occupation forces will not allow UN representatives to visit the left bank of Kherson Oblast flooded after the blowing up of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, as it is "difficult for them to guarantee security".

Source: TASS, a Kremlin-aligned Russian news outlet 

Quote: "I don't know exactly the peculiarities, but there are a lot of issues: how to cross the contact line, ensuring security... you know that there is constant shelling, provocations, civilian facilities are shelled, and people are killed. So it's all very complicated and it's very difficult to ensure security, and there are many other peculiarities."

Background: Denise Brown, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, has said that Russia refused to allow the UN humanitarian mission to reach people on the left bank of Kherson Oblast – those who suffered from the consequences of destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant.

Read more: "We are not afraid, we have sailed home." Ukrainska Pravda on high water and evacuation in Kherson

Background:

• On the night of 5-6 June 2023, the Russian occupiers blew up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant that was mined last year, destroying the turbine hall and the plant itself, which is beyond repair now. The draining of the Kakhovka reservoir threatens the safety of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
• The explosion of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant caused an environmental disaster. Water from the reservoir flooded towns and villages, and evacuations began. 
• The media reported that US intelligence indicated Russia was most likely involved in the explosion. US satellites also recorded an explosion at the Kakhovka HPP shortly before it was destroyed.
• The International Criminal Court (ICC)  begun an investigation into the destruction of the Kakhovka HPP by the Russians, with ICC representatives visiting Kherson Oblast.
• As of 18 June 2023, at least 17 people were killed after the blowing up of the Kakhovka HPP, and 31 more people are missing.

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