EU condemns attacks on major Ukrainian dam

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) - Top EU officials on Tuesday condemned the attacks on the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine, calling it a “new dimension of Russian atrocities.”

With the destruction of the Kakhovka hydropower plant, “Russia’s attacks against Ukrainian civilian critical infrastructure reached an unprecedented level,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic said in a joint statement.

According to the commissioners, the attack “represents a new dimension of Russian atrocities and may constitute a violation of international law, notably international humanitarian law.”

The statement said that attacks on civilian infrastructure can be considered war crimes, and reiterated the EU’s “determination to ensure that all commanders, perpetrators and accomplices of war crimes” will be held accountable.

The commissioners offered EU assistance to Ukrainian authorities “to address any immediate needs, including food and drinking water.”

Peter Stano, the European Commission’s lead spokesperson on foreign affairs, also deplored the destruction of the dam.

He said it was a “horrific and barbaric attack against such a crucial piece of the infrastructure with which terrible humanitarian and environmental consequences.”

Explosions at the Kakhovka hydropower plant caused floodwaters earlier Tuesday in the southern parts of the country near Kherson.

Both Moscow and Kyiv accused each other of destroying the dam.