President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has visited the flood-stricken Kherson region on Thursday where rescue operations are underway. The Kherson region was flooded after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam on the Dnipro River. As a result, the Ukrainian-controlled city of Kherson and dozens of settlements on both sides of the Dnipro have been affected. The president thanked rescue workers and called for a “clear and quick global response” to this disaster.
A tremendous explosion at the Kakhovka dam, which happened early Tuesday, had sent a deluge of water from an upstream reservoir, cascading down the river. The waters have affected Ukrainian-controlled and Russian-controlled territories on opposite sides of the river, which has been an active war zone. The battle between Russian and Ukrainian forces has made humanitarian efforts difficult, especially since Russian shelling across the river has impeded rescue operations.
As of Thursday morning, the flood level in the Kherson region stood at more than 18 feet, which has affected 230 square miles of land. Ukrainian regional officials reported that 32 percent of the inundated area is on the west bank, while 68 percent is on the Russian-controlled east bank. Officials in the occupied city of Nova Kakhovka said that five people had died due to flooding, while dozens more in Russian territory were hospitalized. However, the full scale of the damage is yet to be known since the floodwaters still have not receded.
Amid peacetime, it is common for international aid agencies to mobilize quickly and organize a relief effort; however, providing assistance in a war zone is much more complicated. Nevertheless, the International Committee of the Red Cross reported that its teams in Ukraine have been “working around the clock” to assist and evacuate those affected by floods and are assessing what can be done to support the humanitarian response.
On Thursday, Ukrainian authorities reported that they have evacuated almost 2,000 people and set up nine evacuation points. However, they have warned of the dangers of mines and unexploded ammunition being dislodged by floodwaters. On the Russian-occupied side of the river, about 4,500 people had been evacuated as of Thursday. President Emmanuel Macron of France spoke to Mr. Zelensky on Wednesday and pledged to send humanitarian aid to Ukraine, including 10 tons of supplies like water purification tools and portable cisterns, which Kyiv has asked for.
Aurelien Breeden and David Kurkovskiy contributed to this report.
