White House: We are assessing situation at Kakhovka power plant and preparing military assistance for Ukraine

US National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby has said that Washington continues to assess the situation following the blowing up of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant in southern Ukraine.

Source: Kirby at a briefing in Washington on Tuesday, reported by European Pravda

Quote: "We’ve seen the reports that Russia was responsible for the explosion at the dam [Kakhovka HPP] which, I would remind you, Russian forces took over illegally last year and has been occupying since then.

We’re doing the best we can to assess those reports and we are working with the Ukrainians to gather more information. But we cannot say conclusively what happened at this point."

Details: According to Kirby, Washington is ready to help Kyiv overcome the consequences of the disaster, including through international humanitarian organisations.

"I guarantee you that you will see additional packages of security assistance in the coming days and weeks. We will continue to do everything possible so that Ukraine can succeed on the battlefield, as President Biden said," the White House representative assured.

Media outlets reported that US intelligence indicated that Russia was most likely involved in the blowing up of the dam.

Background:

• On 6 June, Ukraine’s Operational Command Pivden (South) reported that the Russian occupation forces had blown up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP), with the Kherson Oblast Military Administration confirming this information. Oleksandr Prokudin reported that the evacuation of the local population from dangerous areas had begun.
• Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba previously called Russia's blowing up of the Kakhovka HPP a heinous war crime and probably the biggest man-made disaster in Europe in recent decades. The incident has been condemned by a number of foreign leaders and European officials.

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