On Tuesday 5 June, EU and NATO representatives condemned the destruction of the dam at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station.
The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, warned that the EU would hold Russia and its proxies accountable and that he would raise the issue at the June European summit. He has already announced that he will be proposing to increase aid to flooded regions.
“Russia’s attacks against Ukrainian civilian critical infrastructure reached an unprecedented level with the destruction of the dam”, stressed EU High Representative Josep Borrell and European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič in a statement. They condemned the attack “in the strongest possible terms”, believing that it represented a “new dimension of Russian atrocities” and that it could constitute a violation of international law, particularly humanitarian law.
In addition to endangering hundreds of thousands of civilians, including in Kherson, the lowering of the dam level is affecting access to cooling water, which is essential for the reactors at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the High Representative and the Commissioner pointed out. In their view, with this “desperate act”, Russia is also pursuing its “reckless” nuclear gamble by jeopardising the proper operation of the plant’s safety and security systems. “This is irresponsible and completely unacceptable”, they warned.
Borrell and Lenarčič said they remained in contact with the Ukrainian authorities to ensure the EU’s immediate assistance and that the EU was ready to respond to any immediate needs, including food and drinking water. According to them, Ukraine can request assistance under the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism, and the European Commission’s emergency response coordination centre is in close contact with the Ukrainian state emergency service.
The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, described the destruction as “an act against humanity” and “a war crime that cannot go unanswered”. “Now, more than ever, Ukraine needs our help”, she said.
For NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, this “outrageous act demonstrates once again the brutality of Russia’s war in Ukraine”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)