We are terrified: Red Cross about washed away minefields in Kherson region
The mines, which were washed away during the flooding after the sabotage of the Kakhovka HPP, will be a deadly threat to the civilian population "for decades to come," said Erik Tollefsen, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross’s Department of Combating the Consequences of War.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to Reuters.
Tollefsen said he was "following the news with horror" as the flood caused by the explosion of the Kakhovka HPP washed away numerous minefields.
"Before, we at least knew where the danger was. Now we don't know. We only know that now the mines are somewhere downstream," Tollefsen said.
According to him, the threat from such "stray mines" to the civilian population will remain for many decades. In addition, the number of mines used during hostilities during Russia's invasion of Ukraine is unknown.
"All we know is that their numbers are huge," Tollefsen said.
As Censor.NET reported, on the morning of 6 June, it became known that the Russian occupiers had blown up the Kakhovka HPP. The explosion completely destroyed the engine room, and the station cannot be restored.
Evacuations have begun in the region. As many as 80 settlements could be flooded. A total of 16,000 people are in the critical zone on the right bank of the Dnipro.
The explosion of the Kakhovka HPP threatens the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, but the situation is now under control. The explosion could also cause an imbalance in Ukraine's energy system. Fields in southern Ukraine could turn into desert.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, no one other than Russia had the technical capability to blow up the HPP. The NYT interviewed experts and also concluded that the plant was blown up from the inside. The telegram channel of the 205th Motorised Rifle Brigade of the Russian Federation, which is suspected of blowing up the dam, posted about the mining of the hydroelectric power plant and the possibility of blowing it up in October 2022.
The Kremlin claims that the Russians were not involved in the explosion of the Kakhovka HPP and puts the blame on the Ukrainians.
