Sixteen EU countries offer assistance to Ukraine after Nova Kakhovka dam breach

That's according to a statement posted on the website of the European Commission, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"In the wake of the breach of the Nova Kakhovka dam last week and the call for assistance by the Ukrainian authorities, the EU is now mobilizing its strategic reserves from the rescEU shelter capacities. [...] 16 European countries – Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, and Sweden – have now offered assistance via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism," the statement reads.

It said the aid includes supplies of water tankers, water pumps, boats, rescue equipment, generators, and other in-kind life-saving assistance to the affected areas.

In particular, today the European Commission announced the deployment of three mobile water treatment stations to help the local authorities produce potable water for the affected people. Each water treatment station can produce 120,000 liters of clean water per day and is thus helping to solve one of the most urgent needs in the area – access to drinking water.

In addition, the EU's humanitarian partners in Ukraine have re-directed their ongoing response to provide life-saving assistance to the affected populations, including drinking water, ready-to-eat food, cash assistance and the distribution of shelter equipment.

To further support humanitarian operations on the ground, the EU has also mobilized an additional EUR 500,000 to address the immediate needs resulting from the destruction of the Kakhovka dam. This comes on top of the EUR 200 million in humanitarian aid already allocated in 2023 for Ukraine.

On June 6, the Russian army blew up the dam of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant. Rescue operations and measures to overcome the consequences of this crime are underway in the Kherson region.

Ukraine's hydropower generating company Ukrhydroenergo said that the Kakhovka HPP had been destroyed and could not be restored.