'Anything' can happen in conflict, China tells UN over on Ukraine dam blast

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Following the destruction of a key dam in southern Ukraine, China has said that the incident "reminds us reminds us that anything can happen in a conflict situation."

"China is concerned about the protraction and even further escalation of the crisis in Ukraine. What has just happened reminds us once again that anything can happen in a conflict situation," Ambassador Zhang Jun, China's top diplomat at the UN, told an emergency Security Council meeting on Tuesday, referring to the breaching of the Kakhovka dam earlier in the day.

Zhang warned that the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war risked causing "greater suffering and more disasters, creating more risks that are grave and impossible to predict," urging all sides to abide by international law, according to a transcript of his remarks.

An emergency was announced on both sides of the Kakhovka dam after the burst — one side is controlled by Russia, the other by Ukraine.

Russia and Ukraine traded blame over the blast that destroyed part of the dam that supplied water to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014. The incident has led to flooding in the nearby settlements.

Moscow accused Ukraine of attempting to cut Crimea off the freshwater it receives from the Kakhovka Reservoir, formed by the dam, while Kyiv claimed that Russia was trying to hinder an expected counteroffensive.

Both sides requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council, where Zhang voiced that Beijing was "deeply concerned" about the potential consequences of the dam explosion.

"We urge all parties to the conflict to abide by international humanitarian law and to do their utmost to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure," said Zhang.

He also noted that the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that the incident does not yet pose a risk to the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.

"However, the water in the reservoir continues to recede, and it may not be possible to continue pumping water to the nuclear power plant in the future," he added. ​​​​​​​