The White House said on Tuesday (June 6) that it cannot ‘conclusively’ say what was behind the destruction of a massive dam in Ukraine. However, White House Spokesman John Kirby said that reports that the blast was caused by Russia were being assessed. Russia has been in occupation of the dam since last year.
Kirby noted that the destruction of the dam on the Dnipro River may likely have caused “many deaths” and evacuation of thousands of Ukrainians. Dnipro River separates Russian and Ukrainian forces in southern Ukraine.
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Kirby told reporters the damage could have a devastating impact on Ukraine’s energy security.
“We’ve seen the reports that Russia was responsible for the explosion at the dam,” he said. “We’re doing the best we can to assess those reports, and we are working with the Ukrainians to gather more information, but we cannot say conclusively what happened.”
Ukraine has accused Russia of blowing up the Nova Kakhovka dam. Meanwhile, the Kremlin has claimed that it was Ukraine that sabotaged the dam.
Kyiv said the destruction of the dam — seized by Russia in the early hours of the war — was an attempt by Moscow to hamper its long-awaited offensive, which Ukraine’s leader stressed would not be affected.
Kirby opined that it was too soon to discuss effect of the development on Ukraine’s long-planned counteroffensive. He did stress that Russian forces were in illegal occupation of the dam and were in control of it when the blast took place. However, Kirby said that US officials had not determined whether the blast was an intentional act.
Destruction of dam a war crime?
Asked if the destruction of the dam would constitute a war crime, Kirby said international law forbade the destruction of civilian infrastructure.
He said US officials would continue to work with humanitarian partners on the ground to supply aid to those affected.
Russia attacked Ukraine on February 24 last year. After sustained territorial gains in the first few months of the war, the Russian forces had to retreat in the face of the Ukrainian counteroffensive. Large swathes of land were won back by Ukrainian forces. As much as the credit goes to the fortitude of the Ukrainian military, the massive international help has been seen as a major factor that affected the situation on the battlefield.
Western countries, led by the United States have poured in millions and millions in humanitarian as well as military help. This has boosted the military capacity of Ukraine.
(With inputs from agencies)
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