KIEV – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday expressed regret over the lack of aid from the United Nations and the Red Cross in the aftermath of the destruction of the Russian-occupied Kakhovka Dam.
“They’re not there,” Zelenskiy said in an interview with German newspaper Bild in English, adding: “I’m shocked because I think they’re a force that has to be there to save lives.” .
The destruction of a Russian-controlled hydroelectric dam near Ukraine’s front line has flooded dozens of villages and parts of neighboring cities, raising fears of a humanitarian disaster.
Officials said thousands had to leave their homes, with many already doing so voluntarily.
Later in the interview, Zelensky said in Ukrainian that “both people and animals died” in the disaster, according to a German interpreter.
“You can see drowning people floating through the roofs of flooded houses,” he said.
He added that it was difficult to force people out of the occupied Kherson region.
“If our army tries to drive them out, they will be shot from afar by the occupiers.”
Zelensky said he shared information with international partners in Ukraine a year ago that indicated the dam was at risk of being targeted.
“We shared this information with our partners and they all said yes, the risk of the dam blowing up is very high,” he said.
https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/zelensky-in-shock-over-lack-of-aid-for-ukraine-dam-disaster Zelensky ‘shocked’ by lack of aid for Ukraine dam disaster