Japan, Netherlands pledge emergency aid to Ukraine after dam blast

Japan and the Netherlands have become the latest countries to pledge emergency aid in the wake of flooding after the destruction of a major dam in the south of Ukraine, according to news reports.

A flooded area in Kherson, Ukraine, June 9, 2023.

Photo: EPA/MYKOLA TYMCHENKO

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Friday that his country would provide water pump installations and rescue boats "for emergency assistance and evacuation," news outlets reported.

I had a phone call with Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte @MinPres. Thank you for the humanitarian aid to eliminate the consequences of the Russian act of terrorism at the Kakhovka dam. I spoke about the current situation in the area of the man-made disaster and on the…

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 9, 2023

Earlier on Friday, Japan offered emergency aid to Ukraine, the Reuters news agency reported.

I had a call with the Prime Minister of Japan @kishida230.

I spoke about the consequences of Russia blowing up the Kakhovka HPP. This is a deliberate act of terrorism and another war crime of Russia, which, in particular, threatens the safety of the Zaporizhzhia NPP.

I also…

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 9, 2023

Volunteers rushed to deliver drinking water and food to people in Kherson after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine https://t.co/6y62CJMkNN pic.twitter.com/yV2oaqcrpw

— Reuters (@Reuters) June 10, 2023

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier this week that he was "shocked" at what he described as the failure of the United Nations and the Red Cross to help after the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam in the south of his country, according to Reuters.

The situation in the occupied part of Kherson region is absolutely catastrophic. The occupiers simply abandoned people in these terrible conditions. Without rescue, without water, just on the rooftops in flooded communities. And this is another deliberate crime of Russia: after… pic.twitter.com/SPGzXyoCen

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 7, 2023

Russians tried to kill Zelenskyy during his visit to Kherson

On June 8, Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in #Kherson region, where dozens of settlements were flooded after the explosion of the #KakhovkaHPP.

The first video shows Zelenskyy standing with local residents near the… pic.twitter.com/xdbqLAuQ29

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) June 8, 2023

Volodymyr Zelenskyy also visited the Mykolayiv region. https://t.co/bXB6DZqYLU pic.twitter.com/BTdIHysdpu

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) June 8, 2023

The massive dam in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine’s southern Kherson region was blown up by Russian forces in the early hours of Tuesday, causing flooding in vast areas along the Dnipro River, according to Ukrainian officials.

Flooded Oleshky experiences #humanitariandisaster. There is no signal, the fate of hundreds of people is unknown. The Russians are only pretending to help, Tetiana Hasanenko, head of the Oleshky Town Military Administration, told Ukrinform in a comment https://t.co/iatVki0Vd6

— Ukrinform-EN (@Ukrinform_News) June 9, 2023

Poland's envoy to the United Nations, Krzysztof Szczerski, has condemned the destruction of the dam, calling the incident "another outrageous act of Russian barbarity" and an apparent war crime.

The man-made disaster at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant is not a natural disaster or a manifestation of the climate crisis. This disaster is Putin. I said this during an address to global eco-activists, opinion leaders and international experts @margotwallstrom,… pic.twitter.com/MVmjxNhLGi

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 8, 2023

The destroyed Nova Kakhovka dam in Ukraine's southern Kherson region, June 6, 2023. Photo: EPA/MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES via PAP

Addressing the UN Security Council on Tuesday, Szczerski said the attack posed a direct threat to civilians living along the Dnipro banks downstream and to the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the south of Ukraine.

Village in Beryslav district caught in water trap https://t.co/JoHJwIAzQe

— Ukrinform-EN (@Ukrinform_News) June 9, 2023

A dog howls plaintively on a flooded street in #Kherson. Animals can cry too. pic.twitter.com/nWdhaowgYc

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) June 10, 2023

Szczerski warned that the incident could cause an environmental disaster with unprecedented consequences, Polish state news agency PAP reported.

The ecological consequences for Ukraine's #environment from #war of aggression will be catastrophic. Head of the All-Ukrainian Environmental League Tetiana Tymochko tells Ukrinform about the terrible consequences of Russian shelling https://t.co/OKOxXaGKqZ

— Ukrinform-EN (@Ukrinform_News) June 9, 2023

The Polish foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that Poland "will make every effort to hold Russia accountable before the international community and to punish the perpetrators of this criminal act, and will insist on it through relevant international institutional and legal mechanisms, including humanitarian and environmental ones."

We are working at all levels of state and local authorities to rescue as many people as possible from the flooded areas. The evacuation is ongoing. Wherever we can get people out of the flood zone, we do so. The State Emergency Service, police and military are doing a great job!… pic.twitter.com/lTEHoReSY6

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 9, 2023

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.

Saturday is day 492 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

(gs)

Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters, ukrinform.net