WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th June, 2023) Ottawa "strongly" condemned the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plan (HPP) in Ukraine's region of Kherson, Global Affairs Canada said on Wednesday.
The statement was jointly issued by Minister of Global Affairs Melanie Joly and Minister of International Development Harjit Sajjan.
"Canada strongly condemns the destruction of the dam of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant in the Kherson region of Ukraine. This will have significant impacts on the country's energy infrastructure and the lives of thousands of Ukrainians," the ministry's statement reads.
Without explicitly accusing Moscow of being responsible of the events at Kakhovka HPP, the statement added that the destruction of the dam is an additional proof that Russia special military operation in Ukraine is having catastrophic consequences, while being a "grave breach" of international peace and security.
Canada expressed its concerns over the current situation, notably amid reports that the disaster is likely to worsen in the coming hours due to the continued rising of water levels, forcing further evacuations of thousands of Ukrainians in addition to those who have already left, the statement continued.
Additional concerns were expressed over the flooding of agricultural lands which could increase the pressures on food security, the statement said, and over the impacts lowering water levels could have on the cooling operations at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP).
Ukraine and Russia traded accusations on Tuesday over the shelling of the Kakhovka HPP in the Kherson Region. The attack partially collapsed the power plant and released floodwaters that have been washing away the dam, inundating nearby villages and towns and prompting the evacuation of 1,500 people from Russia-controlled territories.
