Zelensky visits flooded area amid warnings of floating mines

Ukrainian President visits flooded areas

Reuters reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on June 8 visited the southern Kherson province, which was affected by flooding after the Nova Kakhovka dam on the Dnipro River collapsed two days ago.

"Many important issues were discussed. The situation of the military's activities in the area after the disaster, the evacuation of residents from areas that could be flooded, preventing emergencies caused by the dam break, organizing life support in flooded areas," Mr. Zelensky said on Telegram.

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According to The Guardian, at least three people were killed on the Ukrainian-controlled right bank (west bank) of the Dnipro River, where the city of Kherson is located. The city is about 60 km downstream from the Kakhovka Dam. Meanwhile, the RIA news agency quoted the mayor of Nova Kakhovka, located near the dam and on the Russian-controlled left bank (east bank) of the Dnipro River, as saying that at least five people were killed.

Mr. Zelensky in Kherson on June 8

Ukrainian Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said earlier that about 600 ^square kilometers of area were under water, most of it (68%) on the Russian-controlled side of the river, and that Ukraine had so far evacuated nearly 2,000 people, according to Reuters.

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TASS news agency quoted Russian security agencies as saying that about 14,000 houses were flooded after the dam burst and about 4,300 people were evacuated. These figures are difficult to independently verify.

On the same day, the Kremlin accused Ukraine of shelling Russian rescuers in the flooded area, and said Russian President Vladimir Putin was monitoring the situation in Kherson after the dam burst on June 6, according to Reuters. Ukraine did not immediately respond to this allegation.

Danger from floating mines after dam break

The International Committee of the Red Cross said on June 8 that the number of mines that have surfaced and dispersed due to rising floodwaters downstream of the Kakhovka Dam could pose a serious danger to civilians for decades to come, according to Reuters.

A flooded area in Kherson after the dam burst.

"We used to know where the dangers were. Now we don't. All we know is that they are somewhere downstream," Reuters quoted Erik Tollefsen, head of the Weapons Contamination Unit at the International Federation of Red Cross.

“We were shocked when we saw the news,” said Mr Tollefsen, who also revealed that World War II mines were still active when they were found underwater in Denmark in 2015.

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In addition to anti-personnel mines, both Russia and Ukraine have used large quantities of artillery shells and anti-tank mines. Mr Tollefsen said the exact number of mines in Ukraine was unclear, but it was “a very large number”.

Nuclear power plant situation

Water levels at a reservoir in southern Ukraine are falling dangerously low after a dam burst and this could affect the nearby Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, according to Ukraine's dam monitoring company, Ukrhydroenergo.

Ukrhydroenergo General Director Ihor Syrota told Ukrainian television that the drop in water levels below the current level at the Kakhovka reservoir could affect the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as well as water supplies to other regions.

"We are about to reach the dead water level of 12.7 meters, after which there will be no water for the cooling lakes at the Zaporizhzhia power plant, as well as for all regions," Reuters quoted Mr. Syrota as saying.

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Energoatom, Ukraine's nuclear energy management company, said on the same day that the situation at the Zaporizhzhia plant as of the morning of June 8 was still "stable and under control".

The UN atomic watchdog earlier said Europe's largest nuclear power plant had enough water to cool its reactors for "several months" from a lake upstream of the Kakhovka reservoir.

Attack in eastern Ukraine

Reuters quoted Governor Pavlo Kirilenko of Donetsk region as saying on June 8 that an overnight Russian shelling killed three people, including a four-year-old boy, in the town of Ukrainsk. According to Kirilenko, five people, including three children, were also wounded in that attack and two others were injured in other attacks in the region.

TASS news agency reported on the same day that "a missile flew over Luhansk" and many explosions were heard in this city. This is the largest city in the province of the same name, also in eastern Ukraine.

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Meanwhile, officials in Russia’s Belgorod province said two residential areas in the province had been attacked by drones, according to The Guardian . Belgorod, which borders Ukraine’s Kharkiv province, has been repeatedly attacked in recent weeks.

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