On June 6, Ukrainian sources said that the counterattack plan of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (VSU) will be adjusted to take into account the explosion at the Kakhovka dam.
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| The Kakhovka Dam was completely destroyed after the explosion on June 6. |
Sources said that a meeting was held in Kiev to discuss changing the form of counterattack in connection with the destruction of the dam.
According to reports, the VSU General Staff is not very concerned about the situation downstream and no offensive actions are planned there, but upstream, the VSU has an intractable problem related to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (NPP).
Control of the nuclear power plant played a major role in the VSU counteroffensive, Kiev planned to capture the Zaporizhzhia NPP and the town of Energodar, which would allow it to make claims to Russia.
To capture the plant, the VSU would conduct an amphibious operation and cross the Dnieper River, including underwater using diving equipment, however the rapidly drying Kakhovka Reservoir made such an operation impossible.
The main plans for the counteroffensive remain unchanged, most likely the VSU will begin the "Battle of Azov", striking in the direction of Zaporizhzhia, through the capture of Vasilyevka, Tokmak and Melitopol, cutting off the land corridor to the Crimean peninsula.
Regarding the Kakhovka dam collapse, on the same day, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Haiat expressed concern about the impact on civilians in this area and said that the Jewish State was shocked by this huge damage.
“Thousands of innocent civilians are at risk because of this horrific devastation,” Haiat said on Twitter. “The deliberate targeting of critical infrastructure and people must be strongly condemned by the entire international community.”
Mr. Haiat's statement, although affirming that the attack was "deliberate", did not mention or assign responsibility to any country in this controversial incident.
Also on June 6, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba announced that the European Union (EU) has offered to assist Ukraine in dealing with the aftermath of the Kakhovka dam collapse as well as humanitarian aid to mitigate the consequences of the disaster, which caused a massive flood that swept through dozens of villages.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that if the Kakhovka dam collapse in southern Ukraine was proven to be intentional, it would be a "new low" in the conflict.
According to the leader, British military and intelligence agencies are investigating the incident and it is too early to determine the cause and make a final assessment.
China also spoke out about the incident on the same day. Its ambassador to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint in both words and actions.
Speaking at the Security Council, Mr. Zhang Jun said: "China reiterates that in the event of a nuclear disaster, no one is immune. We call for maximum restraint, avoiding words and actions that could escalate confrontation and lead to miscalculation, and maintaining the safety and security of the Zaporizhzhia NPP."
Earlier the same day, Ukraine's state hydropower company Ukrhydroenergo said that the Kakhovka Hydropower Plant was completely destroyed and could not be restored after the explosion.
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