Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called the destruction of the Soviet-era dam "an environmental bomb of mass destruction" and a war crime, saying Russia had blown up the complex's power plant from within.accused Ukraine of destroying the dam at the suggestion of Western supporters, saying it was a "barbaric" war crime that escalated the conflict with Moscow.
Over 30,000 cubic metres of water were gushing out of the dam's reservoir every second and the town was at risk of contamination from the torrent, Russia's TASS news agency quoted the Russian-installed mayor, Vladimir Leontyev, as saying. The U.N.'s humanitarian affairs office said a team was in Kherson to coordinate relief efforts. Access to drinking water was a major concern and around 12,000 bottles of water and 10,000 purification tablets had been distributed so far.
"The sheer magnitude of the catastrophe will only become fully realised in the coming days," United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths told the U.N. Security Council.