On June 6, 2023, a succession of ** occurred at the Kakhov hydroelectric dam in Kherson Oblast, Ukraine, causing a huge humanitarian, economic and ecological catastrophe. The UN Security Council convened an emergency meeting to discuss how to respond to this crisis. Speaking at the meeting, China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, expressed grave concern over the dam's damage and called on all parties to exercise restraint and resume peaceful dialogue.
The Kakhovka hydroelectric power station is one of the largest hydropower plants in Ukraine and one of the largest hydropower projects in Europe. Its construction began in 1950 and was a major project of the Stalin era. Not only does it provide Ukraine with a lot of electricity, but it also transports water to the Crimean peninsula through the North Crimean Canal, making Ukraine one of the world's most important wheat producers. It has a storage capacity of 18.2 billion cubic meters, which is equivalent to the water volume of three Yellow Rivers. It's amazing in scale.
However, such a great project was destroyed in a war. On June 6, it was reported that unidentified persons planted multiple bombs on the dam, triggering a violent **. This is the most serious incident of the destruction of civilian facilities since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The extent of its destruction far exceeds that of the Crimean bridge and the Nord Stream gas pipelines, which happened before. This resulted in a massive leakage of water, creating floods that hit towns and villages downstream. More than 16,000 civilians were affected and had to be evacuated urgently. The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, briefed the Security Council on the ground and called on all parties to ensure the security of civilian installations during military operations to avoid acts against humanity.
In addition to flooding, the destruction of the dam could trigger an even greater crisis. The Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant, which needs to be cooled with this water, will face safety risks due to the drastically reduced amount of water in the dam. The Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant is the largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine and one of the largest in Europe. Its operation is directly related to the energy and environmental security of Ukraine and neighboring countries. If an accident occurs at a nuclear power plant, the consequences will be unimaginable. Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, pointed out at the meeting that once a nuclear disaster occurs, no one can be spared. He called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint, refrain from words and actions that could exacerbate confrontation and lead to miscalculations, and maintain the safety and security of nuclear power plants.
As for who blew up the dam, there is no conclusive evidence yet. Russia and Ukraine blame each other for being behind the scenes, and U.S. Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said there was no evidence that Russia was responsible. Whoever they are, they're all *** criminals. They think that it is the other party that is ruined, but in fact it is the great enterprising spirit of mankind that is ruined, and what is destroyed is the hope of all mankind for peace. This incident reminds us once again that anything can happen in a conflict situation, and that the spread of war will only exacerbate suffering and disaster, and bring more serious risks that cannot be avoided. We should cherish peace, cherish life, and cherish our common home.