Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the Kherson region in southern Ukraine today, which is currently flooded. He discussed the situation there following the collapse of the Kakhovka Dam. Zelensky stated, "We discussed many important issues, especially the state of operations, the evacuation of residents from potential flood areas, the end of the emergency caused by the dam explosion, and the organization of support operations for the affected regions. We also discussed the prospects for restoring the ecological system in the area and halting military operations in the disaster zone."
Five people have been reported dead, according to a Russian-appointed mayor in the Nova Kakhovka area, following the dam's collapse on Tuesday. Oleksandr Prokudin, the governor of Kherson, announced today that approximately 600 square kilometers of the southern region are flooded, with 68% of it on the left bank of the Dnipro River occupied by Russia. He reported that the average water level this morning was 5.61 meters, stating in a video message about the flooding, "We are working and helping everyone who is in trouble," while noting ongoing evacuations despite the continuous danger and Russian shelling.
Russian news agency TASS reported that approximately 14,000 homes were flooded after the Kakhovka Dam collapsed, with around 4,300 people evacuated. Medical services indicated that about 23 individuals have been injured due to the dam's collapse and subsequent flooding.
The Kremlin accused Ukraine of shelling Russian rescue workers in the flooded area after the dam's destruction earlier this week. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that President Vladimir Putin currently has no plans to visit the disaster area.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Agriculture indicated today that Ukraine could lose several million tons of crops due to the flooding caused by the Kakhovka Dam's destruction. The ministry stated, "Without a water supply source, it is impossible to grow vegetables; we will plant grains and oilseeds using a low-yield model." They noted that the dam's destruction would "flood tens of thousands of hectares of agricultural land in southern Ukraine and could turn at least 500,000 hectares of land that will be left unreclaimed into deserts." They added that the flooded land would require a full agricultural assessment of the soil condition, with the need for special methods to restore the soil in most cases.
The massive Nova Kakhovka Dam, located in the parts of Kherson controlled by Russia, was destroyed on Tuesday.
