Following the breach of a sizable dam in the Kherson region, a major catastrophe has been declared in southern Ukraine. Nearly 100 towns and villages, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky, are under water, forcing thousands of people to flee. Despite the sabotage accusations coming from Ukraine and Russia, civilians are once again suffering the immediate effects.
According to Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Goncharenko, who spoke to the BBC, more than 150 tonnes of engine oil from a dam close to the town of Nova Kakhovka are contaminating the water.
He muses, "Perhaps more will come. The repercussions will be felt for decades. ".
Tens of thousands of lives are in danger on both sides of the River Dnipro, including in the city of Kherson to the north, which Ukraine reclaimed in November, and in the southern region of Ukraine that is under Russian occupation.
He continues, "We see the level of water rising with our own eyes. Additionally, we can see that the water is moving very quickly. It's just so cruel to destroy the bridge and cause such terrible damage. ".
Social media videos depict water pouring out of the hole near the dam in Nova Kakhovka.
According to Andriy Kostin, Ukraine's prosecutor general, "Flood waters are coming.". "We anticipate that the maximum will arrive in a few hours. ".
As he issued a warning that over 40,000 people may be in danger of flooding, he claimed that 17,000 people have already been evacuated.
One of those evacuated from Antonivka, a village located just north of the banks of the River Dnipro, was 65-year-old Hanna Zarudnia.
She told Reuters that the floodwaters had reached the school and the nearby stadium, which had both been completely submerged.
"The bus got stuck on the completely flooded road. We were transported from the only elevated point that the bus could reach. ".
Olga, a different Kherson resident, reported that she was awakened at 08:00 local time by messages informing her that the evacuation was in progress and that houses were flooded.
She claims to have prepared everything she needs and packed her suitcase, but because she has four cats and two dogs, she is unsure of how she will transport them all.
I've lived here my entire life and am 62 years old. I stayed while my kids had to go. She said on-air to BBC Radio 5: "I don't want to leave this place.
Oleshky, a town in the Russian-occupied province of Kherson, has reportedly been "completely flooded," according to a local official on the southern banks of the River Dnipro.
"Evacuation. is only feasible when using specialized equipment," Andrei Alexeyenko said on Telegram.
Additionally, he shared videos of a car with floodwaters up to the window and a truck traveling down a highway in water at least a foot (30 cm) deep.
Several residents told Reuters that Russian soldiers were patrolling the streets.
"Getting close, and taking pictures or videos in particular, is deadly. One local man, Hlib, claimed that they were prepared to open fire at any time.
Another local, Yevheniya, claimed that the water had reached the knees of the Russian soldiers who were wearing tall rubber boots and were walking down the main street.
She said, "They point their machine guns at you right away if you try to go somewhere they don't allow.".
"Water keeps pouring in, and it gets dirtier by the hour. ".
A local Ukrainian politician in the Mykolaiv region, which is near the Nova Kakovka dam, told the BBC that he anticipates receiving a sizable influx of refugees fleeing flooding in the upcoming days.
We have a refugee aid point where we provide food, medicine, clothing, and psychological support, said Oleh Pylypenko, head of the Shevchenkivka United Territorial Community. ".
According to him, a bus would then transport civilians to temporary housing somewhere else in the Mykolaiv region.
President Volodymyr Zelensky described the immediate effects of the floods in a speech to the Bucharest Nine on Tuesday, a summit that brings together countries on Nato's eastern border.
Before the Russian invasion, these areas were home to at least 100,000 people, he claimed.
"There must be tens of thousands there still. There are 80 towns and villages that are submerged. ".
President Zelensky, who alleged that Russia was planning to blow up the Kakhovka dam back in October, cautioned that the evacuations are only the beginning of the consequences.
Given that much of the evidence is also submerged, finding out who broke the dam may take some time.
However, it is evident from Jens Stoltenberg, the general secretary of NATO, that both civilians on each side of the conflict will have to deal with the effects of the flooding threats.
"The destruction of the Kakhovskaya Dam today puts thousands of civilians in danger and causes serious environmental damage," he wrote in a tweet.
"This is an outrageous act that shows the brutality of Russia's war in Ukraine . once again,"
