While the areas affected by the Kakhovka Dam, which mysteriously collapsed about two weeks ago, are still in a dire situation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky once again pointed the finger at Russia.
He accused Moscow of forming special groups in order to collect and hide the bodies of the victims killed following the collapse of a huge dam in southern Ukraine this month.
“The Russian bad guys have formed special groups there to pick up the bodies of the victims and, of course, to hide them,” he added in his videotaped speech on Thursday night.
He also described the situation in the Russian-occupied parts of the region as “catastrophic, to put it mildly.”
prevalence of hepatitis A
Yesterday, Thursday, the Ukrainian army confirmed that the epidemiological situation in the affected areas had deteriorated sharply, especially with regard to the spread of hepatitis A.
Ukrainian Environment Minister Ruslan Strelets estimated the cost of the disaster at more than $1.5 billion so far.
Kakhovka Dam (AP)
Kiev and Moscow have accused each other of being responsible for destroying the dam, which led to water flowing through large parts of southern Ukraine, especially the Kherson region, which was partially occupied by Russian forces.
While many residents had to climb to the rooftops and wait for help. Kiev accused the Russian occupation forces of failing to help those affected.
Ukrainian officials put the official death toll at 21, including five who died as a result of what they described as Russian bombing during the evacuations. While Russian officials put the death toll at 46.