Ukrainian attack in Bakhmut. UN warns of impact of destruction of Kakhovka dam on global food security, Erdogan calls for international investigation

Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations - quoting the Food and Agriculture Organization of the Organization - said that the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in southern Ukraine will negatively affect global food security, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for an international investigation into the destruction of this dam.

The UN spokesman added that the floods caused by the destruction of "Kakhovka" caused the destruction of thousands of hectares of agricultural crops, and that the local authorities confirmed that the destruction of the dam decimated the irrigation system in the areas of Dnipro, Kherson and Zaparozhia.

This comes as Ukraine confirmed that its forces in Bakhamut in the east of the country have shifted from a defensive position to an attack, advancing on Wednesday between 200 and 1100,<> meters in different areas towards this city.

On the other hand, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that his forces repelled 8 attempts to penetrate their defenses in Pakhmut, stressing the failure of all Ukrainian attacks.

Konashenkov added that his country's forces shot down two Ukrainian fighter jets in Donetsk and Zabarozhia, and more than 20 drones in a number of other regions.

Meanwhile, the governor of Russia's Belgorod province, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said a fire broke out at an industrial facility in the border city of Shibikino as a result of Ukrainian shelling.

Gladkov added that Ukrainian forces bombarded the industrial zone with 40 Grad rockets, and that 20 other shells fell on different neighborhoods in this city.

Ukrainian exile

Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov denied comments by Russian officials that his country's counteroffensive had already begun.

In an interview with Reuters, Danilov said: "All this is not true. When this begins, it is our army that will decide it. When we start the counterattack, everyone will know it and they will see it."

He added that Russian officials were right when they believed that the Ukrainian advance in some areas of the front lines was the beginning of a major operation.

Danilov said there was no doubt that Russia caused the destruction of the Kakhovka dam on the Dnipro River in the southern Kherson region on Tuesday, because the area has been under occupation since the start of the Russian war.

Commission of Inquiry

Politically, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had two phone calls with his Ukrainian counterparts Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian Vladimir Putin.

In his call with the Ukrainian president, Erdogan called for the formation of an international commission of inquiry into the Kakhovka dam bombing.

Zelenskiy said he had spoken with Erdogan about what he described as the humanitarian and environmental consequences of Russia's "terrorist act" at the Kakhovka hydroelectric plant, including the risks to the Zaporizhia plant.

In Russia, the Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin told his Turkish counterpart during the call that the Kiev bombing of the Kakhovka hydroelectric plant was instigated by the West, calling it a "barbaric act."

It is noteworthy that the Kakhovka Dam was established in the fifties of the last century, and it is of strategic value, as it pumps water to the North Crimea channel, which starts from southern Ukraine and crosses the entire Crimea peninsula.

Pro-Russian local authorities in Kherson said the partial destruction of the dam had displaced 4,2700 people from flood areas and been taken to temporary shelters. They also announced the sinking of about <>,<> houses in the flooded areas as a result of the dam explosion.

The Ukrainian president went on to say that the destruction of the Kakhovka dam deprived hundreds of thousands of residents of access to drinking water.

Satellite images taken by Maxar Technologies on Tuesday showed widespread flooding in southern Ukraine and significant damage to the dam and hydroelectric power plant in the region.

Images of more than 2500,<> square kilometers between Nova Kakhovka and Dniprowska Bay, southwest of the Black Sea city of Kherson, show that many towns and villages were flooded, the company said.

The images show houses and buildings submerged in water, and in many images only surfaces are visible, while gardens, land and infrastructure are covered in water.