600 kilomètres carrés d’inondations : il y a des morts sur la rive gauche, les Russes ont bombardé Kherson – 9 blessés, les forces armées ukrainiennes lancent une contre-offensive.
About 600 sq. km of Kherson region flooded, first deaths reported on left bank of river
As of the morning of June 8, the average level of flooding after the blast at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant was 5.61 meters. About 600 square kilometers of Kherson region were under water, which is twice the size of the Maldives. Head of the Kherson regional military administration Oleksandr Prokudin said that 32 per cent of the flooded territory was on the Ukrainian-controlled right bank of the Dnipro River, and 68 per cent was on the Russian-held left bank. He said 1,999 people had left flooded territory as of 6 a.m. on Thursday, most of them – 1,495, were evacuated from the Korabel district in Kherson. “The situation on the left bank is extremely difficult. People are suffering not only from flood waters, but also from Russian terror and lack of will by the occupying forces to help them,” Prokudin said. The first deaths as a result of flooding from the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant were reported in Oleshky, on the Russian-held left bank of the river.
As of Thursday morning, in Mykolayiv, water levels rose by almost one meter, the city’s mayor Oleksandr Senkevych said. In some lower parts of the city, the shore line was being reinforced to protect nearby homes.
The Kinburn Spit has turned into an island. The road that connected the spit to the mainland in the western part of Kherson region on the left bank of the Dnipro, was completely flooded, the Southern Forest Service said. It is no longer possible to get to the mainland by land.
Russia shells Kherson during flood evacuations, leaving nine people wounded
Russian forces began to shell Kherson in the afternoon as people were being evacuated because of flooding caused by the blast at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant. Head of the Kherson regional military administration Oleksandr Prokudin said: “The strikes target coastal areas and the city center.”
The Russians are “just terrorists,” Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak said, as Russia shelled flood-hit Kherson. Nine people were wounded, including two rescue workers from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, a policeman, a medic, and a German volunteer. One person was taken to the hospital’s emergency department.
Ukraine begins counteroffensive against Russia, media say
Ukraine on Thursday began its long-awaited counteroffensive against Russia, officials told ABC News.
Two Ukrainian officials, including a source close to President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, confirmed to ABC News that an active phase of the Ukrainian counteroffensive is underway.
Well-trained Ukrainian troops had been gathering at strategic locations near the front lines in recent days, Western officials said last week.
Ukraine’s troops intensified their attacks on the front line in the country’s southeast, according to four individuals in the country’s armed forces who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the battlefield developments, the Washington Post said.
The Ukrainian troops include specialized attack units armed with Western weapons and trained in NATO tactics. The attacks in the country’s southeast mark a significant push into Russian-occupied territory.
By cutting south through the Zaporizhzhia region’s flat fields, Kyiv’s forces could aim to sever the “land bridge” between mainland Russia and occupied Crimea, cutting off crucial Russian supply lines.
Ukrainian journalists: direct targets of russian deliberate attacks. Ukraine in Flames #455
Ever since russia initiated its full-scale aggression against Ukraine, journalists have tragically fallen victim to the violence perpetrated by russian troops within Ukrainian territory. The occupying forces have systematically targeted TV towers, launched attacks on telecommunications infrastructure, disrupted the broadcasting of Ukrainian channels, seized control over mobile and Internet providers, and engaged in cybercrimes. These actions clearly demonstrate russia’s deliberate warfare against the dissemination of information. Watch Ukraine in flames #455 to find out about prosecutions that journalists face since the onset of the russian invasion and why investigating crimes against journalists should be a priority for the Ukrainian and international authorities.
Guests:
- Oleksandra Romantsova, Executive Director of the Center for Civil Liberties
- Serhiy Tomilenko, Head of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine
- Svitlana Ostapa, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of “Detector Media”, Head of the Supervisory Board of “Suspilne”
