US says 'uncertain' who caused dam collapse in Ukraine

Nova Kakhovka Dam broke on June 6.

The 15-member United Nations Security Council met on June 6 at the request of both Russia and Ukraine, after water overflowed the Nova Kakhovka dam on the Dnipro River, a temporary front line separating the two conflicting sides in the southern Ukrainian Kherson region, according to Reuters.

Asked if Washington knew who caused the dam collapse, US Deputy Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood told reporters ahead of the council meeting: "We are not at all certain, we hope to have more information in the coming days."

Ukrainian civilians evacuated after Nova Kakhovka dam collapse

“But, I mean, come on… why would Ukraine do this to its own territory and its own people, flooding its own land, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes – it just doesn’t make sense,” Reuters quoted Mr. Wood as saying.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said earlier that the agency did not have any independent information about how the dam collapsed, but described it as “another devastating consequence” of the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia blamed Ukraine without providing evidence, accusing Kyiv of trying to create a "favorable opportunity" to regroup military units to resume the counterattack.

“The deliberate sabotage carried out by Kyiv against a critical infrastructure is extremely dangerous and can essentially be considered a war crime or an act of terrorism,” Nebenzia told the council.

Ukraine's UN Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya accused Russia of "terrorist acts targeting Ukraine's critical infrastructure" without providing evidence.

“Physically, it is impossible to blow up the dam from the outside by shelling it – Russia planted mines and blew it up,” Mr Kyslytsya said.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on June 6 that if the dam collapse was proven to be deliberate, it would be a “new low” in Russian activity in Ukraine, according to BBC reporter Chris Mason. Mr Sunak said British military and intelligence agencies were looking into the incident and it was too early to determine the cause or draw firm conclusions.

A house was flooded up to the roof after the dam broke.

Meanwhile, the dam collapse has caused widespread flooding and the head of the UN aid agency has warned of “serious and far-reaching consequences.” Satellite imagery from June 6 provided by Maxar shows that the Nova Kakhovka dam and hydroelectric power plant have been largely destroyed, with only a few structures remaining.

The images, which cover an area spanning 2,500 square kilometres from the city of Nova Kakhovka to Dniprovska Bay southwest of the city of Kherson, also show many towns and villages submerged. People's homes are submerged, many with only their roofs left, and water has swept through parks, land and infrastructure.

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A state of emergency has been declared in Russian-controlled areas of Kherson province, TASS reported on the morning of June 7. Citing emergency services, TASS said about 2,700 homes were flooded after the dam burst and nearly 1,300 people were evacuated. Officials from the Russian-backed local government said at least seven people were missing.

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