UN nuclear chief heads to Ukraine to present aid program addressing consequences of Kakhovka dam destruction by Russia

Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi is going to Ukraine to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Rubryka reports, citing his statement on Twitter.

"On my way to Ukraine to meet President Zelensky and present a program of assistance in the aftermath of the catastrophic Nova Kakhovka dam flooding," he said.

Grossi also plans to assess the situation at the Russia-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) and rotate the representatives of the IAEA mission at the plant.

On June 9, three days after the Russians blew up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP), the Director General of the IAEA announced the launch of an aid program for Ukraine.

He explained that with the help of nuclear methods, the IAEA mission would determine the impact of blowing up the Kakhovka dam on drinking water, human health, soils, and water resources. The IAEA will also assess the integrity of critical infrastructure.

Background

The Ukrhydroenergo state water operator reported that the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant is not subject to restoration. The explosion led to flooding territories in the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions. Because of this, several million tons of the Ukrainian harvest may be lost, and the fields in the south of Ukraine may turn into deserts as early as next year.

Ukrainian intelligence reported that a Russian sabotage group was behind the explosion. The EU's chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, emphasized that the dam was not bombed but destroyed with explosives on the territory under Russian control. The Norwegian company NORSAR analyzed the seismic activity and confirmed that the explosion destroyed the dam. American intelligence satellites also recorded the explosion.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs recorded ten dead people in the controlled territory of the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions. Another 42 are missing. Information is also being confirmed about the dead on the occupied left bank: doctors reported eight dead only in the Oleshky community.

Ukraine is evacuating civilians from the flooded area. As of the evening of June 11, more than 3,700 people were evacuated from the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions. Also, under shelling, Ukraine is evacuating even from the Russia-occupied left bank of the Kherson region. After the Russians blew up the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric plant, Ukraine managed to save 112 people from the temporarily occupied left bank of the Kherson region.