Russia accused of repeatedly striking dam near Zelensky hometown, causing floods
100 homes in Kryvyi Rih flooded before water levels start to drop; Ukrainian president says attacks on civilians are ‘another reason why Russia will lose’
Floods on Thursday hit Kryvyi Rih, a large city in central Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelensky’s birthplace, after Russian strikes damaged water infrastructure the day before and caused the Inhulets River to flood.
Ukrainian officials said Russian missiles kept hitting the dam of the Karachunivske Reservoir close to the city throughout the day. The damage flooded over 100 homes, and efforts were underway to contain more spillage. Authorities urged citizens to take shelter as strikes continued.
Andrii Kurach, head of the State Emergency Service in the Dnipropetrovsk region said that by Thursday water levels in the Inhulets had receded by 50 centimeters (20 inches).
Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of Kryvyi Rih’s military administration, said that the “destruction is serious” and that authorities were still examining the scope of the damage.
The attack angered Zelensky, who said the strikes had no military value.
“In fact, hitting hundreds of thousands of ordinary civilians is another reason why Russia will lose,” he said in his nightly address late Wednesday.
