Ukrainian military fired US-made HIMARS missiles at the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric dam in Kherson Region on Sunday, damaging one of the floodgates, emergency services have told RIA Novosti.
Six projectiles targeted the structure at around 10am local time. Five were intercepted by Russian air defenses, but one made it through, a representative said.
“The Armed Forces of Ukraine aren’t giving up on their attempts to destroy the dam of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station and create the circumstances for a humanitarian disaster,” the statement explained.
The local authorities later clarified that the missile had failed to cause critical damage.
In recent weeks, Moscow has been blaming Kiev for attempting numerous attacks on the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric dam, which stands on the Dnieper River, upstream from the city of Kherson.
Putin names priority for frontline regionREAD MORE Putin names priority for frontline region
The Russian authorities began relocating civilians from the city and areas on the right bank of the Dnieper last month. The caretaker governor of Kherson, Vladimir Saldo, explained that there was “an immediate danger of flooding in the territories due to the planned destruction of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric dam” by Ukrainian forces.
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said “those living in Kherson must be evacuated from the most dangerous zone of action. The civilian population must not suffer from shelling, any kind of offensive and counter-offensive, and other activities related to military operations.”
However, Ukraine has claimed that Russia had been planning to blow up the dam itself in a false-flag operation aimed at framing Kiev for the flooding. Those claims have been repeatedly denied by Moscow.
Kherson Region was officially declared part of Russia in early October, together with Zaporozhye Region and the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, after people in those territories overwhelmingly supported the move in referendums.
In recent weeks, the Ukrainian military has repeatedly tried to advance on Kherson, but all of those attacks have been repelled.
READ MORE: Russian official warns of Ukrainian dam breach plot
On Sunday, Kirill Stremousov, the deputy head of the regional administration, said Kiev had been “deploying more and more APCs and tanks” near Kherson in what could be preparation for another offensive.
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Chinese investors decry Kiev’s ‘plunder’
ReplyDeleteBeijing Skyrizon blasted the seizure of Ukrainian aircraft engine producer Motor Sich, in which it claims a stake
A Chinese company engaged in a legal battle over a majority stake in Motor Sich, Ukraine’s leading aviation company, has denounced Kiev’s decision to take over the company under wartime authority.
Beijing Skyrizon Aviation Industry Investment said it opposed the “shameless actions by the Ukrainian state,” which it accused of politicizing business and abusing its power to “plunder” the property of foreign investors.
“The lawful rights and interests of Chinese investors have been significantly violated, resulting in large economic loss,” the statement said, as cited by the media.
In 2017, a court in Kiev froze Beijing Skyrizon’s acquisition of a majority stake in the Ukrainian company on national security grounds. Ukraine’s national security services argued that Motor Sich’s military technologies could be compromised by foreign control.
In early 2021, the government of President Vladimir Zelensky imposed sanctions on Beijing Skyrizon and its owner, Wang Jing, that banned any Chinese attempts to operate Motor Sich or move capital out of Ukraine.
The US, which opposed the acquisition of the Ukrainian manufacturing giant, previously put the Chinese firm on its Military End-User List, which restricts access to American exports.
Last December, Beijing Skyrizon filed a claim of compensation against Ukraine in the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration. It asserted that Kiev’s actions had caused $4.5 billion in damage.
This week, it was revealed that Ukraine’s securities regulator had ordered the seizure of the privately-owned shares of several key enterprises, including Motor Sich. Vyacheslav Boguslaev, its long-time director and former co-owner, who sold his stake to Chinese investors, is currently under a criminal investigation for allegedly having dealings with Russia.
[ RT ]