We are trying to save every citizen who is in the disaster zone. This was emphasised by Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Ihor Klymenko during the broadcast of the National Telethon.

The Interior Minister noted that as a result of the russian terrorist attack on the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, 24 Ukrainian settlements had been flooded and the water was still coming in, reaching a height of two metres in some places.

“We are trying to save every citizen who is in the disaster zone. People should remember that such water raises mines, so everyone should be extremely careful to save their lives,” said Igor Klymenko.

The Minister of Internal Affairs said that the State Emergency Service and the National Police of Ukraine had managed to evacuate about a thousand people from the flooded settlements. There are 50 police teams working on the ground, and 250 units of SES equipment, including swamp vehicles and boats, are also involved.

Ihor Klymenko noted that despite the evacuation, the russian occupation forces continued to shell civilians. Thus, two policemen were wounded during the evacuation: “Even after today’s terrorist attack, the russian occupiers continue to shell the area where the evacuation is taking place. In particular, in one of the districts of Kherson, two policemen were wounded an hour ago, they were fired upon from the temporarily occupied territory on the left bank of the Dnipro river. And such attacks are continuing at the moment.”

The Interior Minister noted that the water would continue to come in for another 24 hours, so all units of the Ministry will work around the clock. Currently, five temporary shelters have been set up in Kherson where people can stay before being evacuated to other localities.

Ihor Klymenko also said that when russia blew up the foundation of the Kakhovka HPP dam, it also destroyed the machine room, which contained 450 tonnes of fuel oil.

“At the moment, about 150 tonnes of the substance has leaked into the Dnipro river and is flowing at high speed through the city of Kherson and further down. Therefore, the relevant services of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources and the Ministry of Internal Affairs are already working to eliminate the consequences of a possible environmental disaster in time,” said the Minister of Internal Affairs.

Ihor Klymenko noted that citizens would first be evacuated to the city of Kherson, and then throughout the country, in accordance with the decisions of local authorities.