HOME > AFP-JIJI PRESS NEWS JOURNAL > Article
Flood fears as Ukraine says Russian strike damages dam
Russian strikes on Monday damaged a dam near the front line in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, Ukrainian authorities said, warning nearby villages could be threatened by rising water levels.
Ukraine also said Russian attacks killed at least three people in the centre of the country, with rescue operations ongoing in the city of Kryvyi Rig.
They came after the warring countries hit each other with massive drone strikes at the weekend and as the long-term future of US support for Ukraine hangs in the air after the election of Donald Trump.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has dragged on for nearly three years.
Moscow's army is now rapidly advancing in the Donetsk region and closing in on the town of Kurakhove, which lies next to the reservoir and had a pre-war population of around 10,000 people.
The Russians damaged the dam of the reservoir of Kurakhove. This strike potentially threatens residents of settlements on the Vovcha River, both in Donetsk and Dnipro regions, the region's Governor Vadym Filashkin said.
As of 16:00, the water level in the river within the Velykonovosilkivska community has risen by 1.2 metres (four feet). No flooding has been reported so far! he posted on social media.
The dam lies in the village of Stari Terny, west of Kurakhove.
International environmental groups have warned of the devastating effects of Russia's invasion on Ukraine's nature.
In June last year, a massive Soviet-era dam in Ukraine's southern Kherson region was blown up, pouring billions of litres of water downstream and flooding dozens of villages on the banks of the Dnipro River.
Kyiv said Russia, whose troops controlled the dam at the time, blew it up to thwart a Ukrainian counter-offensive. Moscow blamed Ukraine.
Dozens were killed in the floods that followed the blast, which has also caused vast environmental damage to southern Ukraine.
- Attacks on central Ukraine -
Russia also targeted the central Ukrainian cities of Nikopol and Kryvyi Rig on Monday.
Moscow's shelling killed two people in Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk region governor Sergiy Lysak said.
In Kryvyi Rig, the home city of President Volodymyr Zelensky, a search and rescue operation was underway, with at least one dead and 14 people wounded after Russian strikes on the city.
The head of the city, Oleksandr Vilkul, said the body of a woman was pulled out of the rubble.
Kryvyi Rig has been regularly hit by Russian strikes.
The attacks came a day after Moscow and Kyiv launched record drone attacks on each other on Sunday.
Trump's election has raised questions about the future of the conflict, with the Republican being vocally critical of United States aid to Ukraine.
Throughout his presidential campaign, Trump vowed that he would end the war swiftly, without giving details as to how.
Visiting Ukraine on Monday, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned that letting Russia win in Ukraine would represent a loss for the United States.
Certainly it would not be a victory for the American leadership if Ukraine crumbles down and Putin wins the war, Borrell told AFP on the first trip to Kyiv by a senior EU official since Trump's election triumph.
(2024/11/12 20:20)
Click Here for Japanese TranslationAFP-JIJI PRESS NEWS JOURNAL
- 11/21 16:56 US cites new Russian tactics for decision to supply landmines to Ukraine
- 11/21 16:53 Iconic Real Madrid lockers on display in London auction
- 11/21 16:49 US judge sentences migrant to life imprisonment in high-profile murder case
- 11/20 19:04 Japanese, Koreans bottom of global love life survey
- 11/20 19:02 Bodies burned after Haiti police, civilians kill 28 alleged gang members
- 11/20 19:00 Trump ally seeks to block trans lawmaker from women's restrooms
- 11/20 16:53 'I have left a legacy'-- Nadal retires from tennis
- 11/20 16:51 Russia vows response after Ukraine fires long-range US missiles
- 11/20 16:50 Son of Norwegian princess arrested on suspicion of rape
- 11/19 19:07 Parts of Great Barrier Reef suffer highest coral mortality on record
- 11/19 19:05 Russian delegations visit Pyongyang as Ukraine war deepens ties
- 11/19 19:03 Pompeii rejects 'mass tourism' with daily visitor limit
- 11/19 17:12 Team Trump assails Biden decision on missiles for Ukraine
- 11/19 17:01 Law and disorder as Thai police station comes under monkey attack
- 11/19 16:59 Bentancur banned for seven games over alleged racial slur
- 11/18 17:10 End of a love affair-- news media quit X over 'disinformation'
- 11/18 17:09 NATO's largest artillery exercise underway in Finland
- 11/18 17:07 Biden touts climate legacy in landmark Amazon visit
- 11/18 17:05 India's capital shuts schools as smog exceeds 60 times WHO limit
- 11/18 17:04 McDonald's feast undercuts Trump health pledge
- 11/18 17:02 Dinosaur skeleton fetches 6 million euros in Paris sale
- 11/15 21:30 Electrician finds frescoes behind false ceiling in Rome
- 11/15 21:23 UN committee says Israel warfare in Gaza 'consistent with genocide'
- 11/15 21:10 Tyson slaps Paul in final face-off before Netflix bout
- 11/15 19:31 Scientists say world's largest coral found near Solomon Islands
- 11/15 19:28 N. Korean leader orders 'mass production' of attack drones
- 11/15 19:26 Stewards intervene to stop Israel, France football fans clash at Paris match
- 11/14 20:29 Global diabetes rate has doubled in last 30 years-- study
- 11/14 20:27 S.Africa football chief arrested on fraud, theft charges
- 11/14 20:25 South Korea exam sees record number of re-takes after medical reforms
- 11/14 16:55 Mike Tyson, 58, back in ring to face Youtuber Paul
- 11/14 16:53 South Korean president dusts off the golf clubs for Trump
- 11/14 16:52 Mysterious diamond-laden necklace fetches $4.8 mn in Geneva auction
- 11/13 20:05 Toxic smog smothering India's capital smashes WHO limit
- 11/13 20:02 14 dead in Pakistan wedding bus crash, bride survives
- 11/13 20:00 UN condemns 'acts reminiscent of the gravest international crimes' in Gaza
- 11/13 16:37 Taiwan video taken down after reporter calls Trump 'convicted felon'
- 11/13 16:34 South Korea prosecutors indict controversial American streamer
- 11/13 16:31 French footballer Ben Yedder gets suspended jail term for sexual assault
- 11/12 20:21 Surfboards with bright lights could deter shark attacks - researchers
- 11/12 20:20 Flood fears as Ukraine says Russian strike damages dam
- 11/12 18:22 Van Nistelrooy leaves Man Utd as Amorim arrives
- 11/12 18:20 Putin win in Ukraine 'no victory' for Trump-- EU's top diplomat
- 11/12 17:05 Harris appears with Biden for first time since election loss
- 11/12 17:01 US climate action won't end with Trump, envoy tells COP29