Ukraine-News today: Destroyed Kakhovka dam - Ukraine speaks of up to 80 threatened localities

Highlights: Dozens of villages are said to be threatened by the water masses of the damaged Kakhovka dam. 300 houses in occupied Nova Kakhvka have already been evacuated. The hydroelectric power plant is also destroyed. British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly blames Russia's invasion for the destruction of the dam and calls for the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine. Ukraine and Russia are now also meeting before the UN's highest court. The International Court of Justice is dealing with a lawsuit brought by Ukraine against Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine since 2014.

Dozens of villages are said to be threatened by the water masses of the damaged Kakhovka dam. 300 houses in occupied Nova Kakhovka have already been evacuated. The hydroelectric power plant is also destroyed. The situation is confusing. The News.

Zoom Image

This video still is intended to show how masses of water leak out of the reservoir

Photo: Ukrainian Presidential Office / AP

This article will be updated on an ongoing basis.

Occupiers: Around 300 houses evacuated in Nova Kakhovka

9.30 a.m.: In the Russian-occupied city of Nova Kakhovka, around 300 houses have been evacuated so far, according to Russian sources. This is according to the Russian-appointed head of the city's administration, Vladimir Leontev, according to the Russian news agency Tass. Part of the city had been cut off from the power supply for safety reasons.

Britain blames Russia for dam destruction

9.15 a.m.: British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly blames Russia's invasion for the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam and calls for the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine. "I have heard reports of the explosion at the dam and the risk of flooding," Cleverly, who is currently in Ukraine, told Reuters. "It is still too early to make a meaningful assessment of the details. But one should not forget that the only reason why this is a problem at all is Russia's unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine," the minister said: "We will continue to assess the evolution of the situation, but the best thing Russia can do now is to withdraw its troops immediately."

Nova Kakhovka hydroelectric power station destroyed

9.00 a.m.: After a heavy explosion at the important dam in the southern Ukrainian city of Nova Kakhovka, the adjacent hydroelectric power plant has also been destroyed, according to information from Kiev and Moscow. It was "obvious" that a repair was not possible, said the Russian occupation mayor Vladimir Leontiev, according to the dpa news agency on Russian state television. The Ukrainian power plant operator also spoke of a complete destruction of the plant.

Ukraine speaks of up to 80 threatened localities, RIA of 22,000 people

8:48 a.m.: According to the Ukrainian government, up to 80 localities are threatened by flooding as a result of the destruction of the Kakhovka dam. This was announced by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. He, too, blames Russian troops for the destruction of the dam.

Russia's state-run RIA news agency, citing the Russian-installed administration in the occupied parts of Ukraine's Kherson region, reported that 22,000 people in 14 localities in the south of the region were at risk of flooding. Russia has declared Kherson annexed, but its troops only have parts of it under control.

Tass: No immediate danger to Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

8.20 a.m.: According to Russia, the collapse of the Kakhovka dam poses no immediate threat to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. This is reported by the Russian state news agency Tass, citing a Russian-appointed administrative representative in the occupied Zaporizhzhia region. The nuclear power plant is the largest in Europe and has been under Russian control for some time.

The 30-meter-high and 3.2-kilometer-long dam was built in 1956 on the Dnipro River as part of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant. The resulting reservoir holds around 18 billion cubic meters of water and supplies the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.

UN court hears Ukraine's lawsuit against Russia

8.00 a.m.: While Ukraine is defending itself against Russia's war of aggression at home, the two countries are now also meeting before the UN's highest court. The International Court of Justice in The Hague is dealing with a lawsuit brought by Ukraine against Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine since 2014.

Ukraine had already filed a lawsuit against Russia in 2017 for supporting the pro-Russian rebels in Donbas and oppressing the non-Russian population in Crimea. Kiev accuses Russia of supporting the separatists in Donbas with weapons and money. In doing so, Moscow is violating the UN Convention against the Financing of Terrorism. Moscow rejects these accusations.

On Tuesday, Ukraine will have the floor. On Thursday, Russia's legal representatives will follow. It is not known when a verdict can be expected. Decisions of the court are binding.

Large dam destroyed in Kherson, Kiev blames Moscow

7.05 a.m.: Russian forces reportedly blew up the Kakhova Dam in the Russian-controlled part of Kherson. The extent of the destruction is still unclear, according to the Ukrainian side. Tens of thousands of people are at risk of flooding. Read more about it here.

What happened on the eve and during the night, you can read here: Nationwide air alert in Ukraine, Wagner boss mocks Russian success stories

sak/Reuters/dpa/AP