Russia and Ukraine exchanged accusations on Tuesday over the destruction of a major dam in southern Ukraine.

The UN Security Council convened an emergency meeting requested by both countries following the collapse of the Kakhovka dam in the Russian-controlled territories of Ukraine early Tuesday.

Russia's Ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, accused Ukraine of declaring its readiness to blow up the dam to gain a military advantage as far back as last year and of “conducting a test strike. “

He called the attack a “deliberate sabotage” undertaken by Ukraine.

“The sabotage carried out Kyiv has two obvious objectives. The first is to attract maximum attention in order to create several opportunities for regrouping its units to continue the widely publicized counteroffensive, “ he said.

“The second goal of today's attack is to inflict maximum humanitarian damage on the populations of vast territories.”

Nebenzia blamed the West for “obstinately pumping weapons” into Ukraine, saying it bears “full responsibility'' for the latest attack along with Ukraine.

Ukrainian Ambassador to the UN Sergiy Kyslytsya said “this is a terrorist act against Ukrainian critical infrastructure.”

“There was little chance that the country which desperately denied its war crimes...would acknowledge responsibility for today's technological disaster,” he said.

Kyslytsya said that Russia has been controlling the dam for more than a year and that it is “physically impossible” to blow it up by shelling from the outside.

He called on the UN and other international organizations to send humanitarian missions to help local residents affected by the flooding.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said earlier that the destruction of the Kakhovka dam was “another devastating consequence'” of the Russian invasion, a criticism echoed by many Security Council members during the meeting.

Guterres said the United Nations has no access to independent information on the circumstances that led to the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam.

''While investigations are underway, I will say again: The latest humanitarian, agricultural, energy and environmental crisis would not even exist had Russia not launched its brutal war against Ukraine,” said US Deputy Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood.

In his briefing to the Council, UN aid chief Martin Griffiths said the sheer magnitude of the catastrophe will only become fully realized in the coming days.

He warned of “grave'” and “far-reaching” consequences for thousands of people in southern Ukraine on both sides of the front line through the loss of homes, food, safe water and livelihoods.

Griffiths also expressed concern about the risks of mine and explosive ordnance contamination as fast-moving water shifts projectiles to areas previously assessed as safe, putting people in further and unpredictable danger. (Anadolu Agency)

•PHOTO: A view of River Dnieper with incoming water after explosions at the Kakhovka hydropower plant caused floods in Kherson, Ukraine on June 6, 2023.

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