Ukraine Says Dam Collapse Caused 1.2 Billion Euros Damage
NDTV
The collapse of the Russian-held dam on June 6 unleashed floodwaters across southern Ukraine and Russian-occupied areas of the Kherson region, killing more than 50 people and destroying homes and farmland.
The destruction of the vast Kakhovka hydro-electric dam has caused 1.2 billion euros of damage, Ukraine's environment minister said on Tuesday, warning that mines unearthed by flooding could wash onto other European countries' shores.
The collapse of the Russian-held dam on June 6 unleashed floodwaters across southern Ukraine and Russian-occupied areas of the Kherson region, killing more than 50 people and destroying homes and farmland.
Speaking by video-link to a meeting of European Union countries' environment ministers, Ukrainian Environment Minister Ruslan Strilets said assessments of the damage was ongoing but the dam collapse was already the largest environmental disaster since Russia's February 2022 invasion.
"There are things that we can never restore. These are the ecosystems that were washed away into the Black Sea. This includes 20,000 animals that probably died, including endemic species that were only found in southern Ukraine," he said.
