U.S. 'Continues To Assess' What Happened At Kakhovka Dam, State Department Says

Washington D.C./08.06.23/Turan:  The U.S. State Department said on Wednesday that while it is in contact with Ukrainian authorities regarding the attack on the Kakhovka dam, it does not possess conclusive assessment as to what transpired, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"I’m certainly not going to get into intelligence assessments from up here... we don’t have any conclusively – anything to offer as to what happened,” Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told a daily press briefing when responding to TURAN's questions.

Asked whether there was any concern that Washington's delayed response might embolden Russia in its war crimes in Ukraine, Patel said in general, the U.S. has called Russia out for its dangerous behavior. 

"Not only that, we have continued to support our Ukrainian partners in their endeavors to defend their territorial integrity, to defend their sovereignty, and to defend their people.  We’ve also taken steps to hold the Russian Federation accountable.  So we are not greenlighting anything. This – again, so as I said, this destruction was certainly alarming, and we are continuing to look into what transpired," Patel told TURAN's correspondent.

The State Department estimates that around 20,000 people will have to be resettled because of the floods caused by the Kakhovka dam destruction.  "16,000 residents face immediate flood risks… with an estimated 20,000 people needing to relocate," Patel said.

Apart from a direct danger to civilian life and property, the disaster threatens the security at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and the water supply in southern Ukraine.

It can also impact the stability of the national power supply and food security, Patel added.

He also added that the U.S. is discussing humanitarian assistance for individuals who were displaced due to the rising flood waters but declined to elaborate.

“It is deeply alarming; it is a tragic outcome of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and so this is something we’ll continue to remain deeply engaged on but I don’t have an updated assessment to offer on this,” Patel said.

Alex Raufoglu