Actual toll from Russian bombing of Kakhovka HPP remains unknown, Kuleba says
At least 34 people were killed when the Russians blew up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP)on June 6, 2023, but the actual number of victims remains unknown.
According to Ukrinform, Oleksii Kuleba, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for Recovery and Minister of Community and Territorial Development, reported this on Telegram.
“Today marks the third anniversary of the bombing of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant—one of Russia’s gravest war crimes against people and the environment. Three years ago, Russian troops destroyed the dam and the Kakhovka Reservoir. Eighty settlements were flooded, and nearly 4,000 people were evacuated. At least 34 people died, but the actual number of victims remains unknown,” Kuleba noted.
According to him, in the first days after the tragedy, rescuers, police, medical workers, and volunteers worked around the clock.
“Over 500 utility workers from various regions of Ukraine helped address the aftermath of the destruction. Together with energy and gas workers, they restored infrastructure, water supply, and normal life for communities. We remember this tragedy and everyone it affected. Russia will certainly be held accountable for this crime against the people, nature, and the future of Ukraine,” Kuleba emphasized.
As reported by Ukrinform, on the night of June 6, 2023, the Russian army blew up the dam of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, causing the flooding of parts of the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions and, at the same time, a critical drop in the water level of the Kakhovka Reservoir. The total estimated environmental damage three years after Russia’s destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant exceeded UAH 77.8 billion.