Ukraine is evacuating more residents today, Friday, from southern regions of the country, where officials stated that at least five people have died due to flooding resulting from the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam.
In this context, Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko noted via Telegram that four people died and 13 are missing in the Kherson region, and one person died in Mykolaiv region. Klymenko highlighted that 48 settlements in the Kherson region experienced flooding, including 14 settlements in areas controlled by Russia. In Mykolaiv, 23 villages and towns were affected by flooding.
A Russian-appointed official reported that eight people died in areas controlled by Russia, and more than 5,800 have been evacuated from their homes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that authorities are working around the clock to rescue people, affirming that "evacuations are ongoing. Wherever we can get people out of the flood zone, we do so." He also shared online images showing flooded areas where emergency teams are using boats to rescue individuals and animals.
Zelensky commented, "We are discovering more details about the destruction caused by Russia with this disaster."
Vladimir Saldo, whom Russia appointed as the governor of the Ukrainian Kherson region, which Moscow claims to have unilaterally annexed, accused Kyiv of continuing to shell rescuers on the left bank of the Dnipro River that is under Russian control.
Saldo mentioned via Telegram that water levels dropped by 2.5 meters after reaching their peak on Tuesday in the urban area of Nova Kakhovka, a town adjacent to the dam's outlet. He indicated that flooding may not recede for another 10 days and that water has inundated a total of 22,273 homes across 17 towns and villages in the Russian-controlled part of Kherson.
Earlier on Friday, the Kremlin accused Ukrainian forces of killing civilian victims of the flooding due to ongoing shelling, including a pregnant woman. The massive Nova Kakhovka Dam, located in the Russian-controlled parts of Kherson region in southern Ukraine, was destroyed on Tuesday. Both Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of blowing up the dam.
