US Not Sure If Russia Responsible for Ukraine Dam Explosion

The White House says it "cannot say conclusively what happened" to cause a major dam in southern Ukraine to collapse, flooding villages, endangering crops in the country’s breadbasket and threatening drinking water supplies.

Speaking at the White House briefing Tuesday, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the administration has "seen the reports that Russia was responsible" for an explosion at the dam.

He said the White House is "doing the best we can to assess those reports, and we are working with the Ukrainians to gather more information."

Ukraine accused Russian forces of blowing up the Kakhovka dam and hydroelectric power station, on the Dnieper River in an area that Moscow has controlled for more than a year, while Russian officials blamed Ukrainian bombardment in the contested area. It was not possible to reconcile the conflicting claims.

Russian and Ukrainian officials used terms like “ecological disaster” and “terrorist act” to describe the torrent of water gushing through the broken dam and beginning to empty an upstream reservoir that is one of the world's largest.

Kirby said whoever was responsible, "what is clear and what we absolutely can say is that the damage to the Ukrainian people and to the region will be significant."

He declined to say what impact the U.S. believes it would have on Ukraine’s counteroffensive.

--------

Bloomberg Quicktake brings you global social video spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world.

Connect with us on…

[dafe]

Did the US not destroy Iraqs infrastructure

[ericburdon]

And who destroyed the russian gas pipeline in sea?? Please don't take us for fools.

[aum]

it's funny when USA talks about laws of war ... 😂😂🤦

[dexranch]

We encouraged this war.
We're funding this war.
We are providing arms & materiel to further this war.
WE are responsible for everything that is happening.
WE need to stop meddling, mind our own business & solve our problems at home.

[scalarnai]

Go talk about the destruction of Nord Stream pipelines, you hypocrite

[MIB_]

Both parts claim that the other part did it. Whoever did it they managed to cut off the water supply to Crimea. On top on that the explosion at the dam flooded numerous Russian footholds. So my best guess is that Ukraine did it.

[bhhvvbvgyvbuvv]

Isn't it funny an American politician calling another nation's actions illegal...

[paulokeke]

I won't be surprised if they find out it was NATO all along

[transferlynx]

Does that man ever listen to his own words? OMFG!

[dchamp]

Like blowing up an undersea oil pipeline?

[PaulHigginbothamSr]

We will pay Putler back for this with f16s & Abrahms. Hundreds of these.

[Militaryman]

When a nation that violates its own laws tries to blame other nations for law violation, it is laughable, to say the least.

[ericp]

Same people that shelled the ZPP and blew up Nordstream?

[JO-bwwx]

Russian control the dam, if they want to release, they could use the dam valve. Russian also need the water from this dam for their nuclear plant. It make no sense Russian blow the dam.

[eldonn]

He’s a liar. Of course the USA did this to slow down Russian offensive. 😅

[pplett]

When the US says they don’t know what happened it means it was us. Damn I was really hoping it was the Russians

[hasibi]

I’m sure they have cameras that recorded what really happened right????

[ramlanhusain]

If US unable to conclusively confirm then It could be either sides. Like Nord Stream pipeline

[gettingpolitical]

So what hes really saying is US forces snuck in under the cover of dark and destroyed the bridge. Russia had the bridge in their occupation and would not intentionally destroy land they occupy.

[tubro]

Is the US destroying that civilian Russian gas pipeline against that code or the Geneva convention that the US has signed?