Ukraine claims it has proof Russian forces blew up Nova Kakhovka dam

Ukraine’s domestic security service claims to have intercepted a telephone call proving Russia blew up the Soviet-era Kakhovka dam in the Kherson region. It posted an audio clip of the alleged conversation on its Telegram channel on Friday.

The clip featured two unidentified men who appeared to be discussing the incident in Russian. The transcript shows, while the first speaker says “It was ours? They said that the Khokhols blew it up”, the other person responds “They didn’t blow it up. Our saboteur group is there.”

According to the RIA News Agency, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin said the same day that water supply to the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow illegally seized in 2014 and claimed to annex it, will not be affected by the dam’s destruction.

Reuters cited the agency quoting the minister as saying Crimea’s reservoirs were full and that the peninsula on the northern coast of the Black Sea had enough water reserves for 500 days.

A canal from the reservoir addressed the peninsula’s drinking water requirements. But Ukraine cut access to the canal in 2014.

In the wake of the dam explosion and subsequent flooding, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has revealed the country’s readiness to offer humanitarian aid before his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, Hirokazu Matsuno, said Friday.

The aid could be worth $5 million and is expected to be distributed via international organisations, Reuters reported.

Meanwhile, Washington is expected to announce a new arms package for war-ravaged Ukraine as soon as Friday – valued at over $2 billion, Bloomberg reported, quoting administration officials.