Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed that Russia formed special groups to collect and hide the bodies of the victims who died following the collapse of the Kakhovka Dam in southern Ukraine this month. Zelensky stated in his video address on Thursday evening: "The Russian evildoers have formed special groups there to lift the bodies of the victims, and of course, to hide them," describing the situation in the Russian-occupied areas as "catastrophic, to say the least."
Kyiv and Moscow exchanged accusations of responsibility for the dam's destruction, which led to water flowing through parts of southern Ukraine, particularly in the partially Russian-occupied Kherson region. Ukrainian officials reported that the official death toll stands at 21, including five who died due to what they described as Russian shelling during evacuation operations. Russian officials announced a death toll of 46.
The Ukrainian military stated on Thursday that the epidemiological situation in the affected areas has severely deteriorated, especially concerning the spread of hepatitis A. Ukrainian Environment Minister Ruslan Strelbitsky estimated the cost of damages from the disaster to exceed $1.5 billion so far.
