More than 2,700 people have fled their homes on both the Russian and Ukrainian-controlled sides of the Dnipro River after the dam collapse
Ukrainian authorities are rushing to source and distribute clean drinking water to its citizens, as the human toll of a major dam collapsed in the southern region begins to be felt.
The Kakhovka dam was destroyed on Tuesday 6 June, with Ukraine laying the blame at the door of Russia. However, Moscow has denied that it was involved with any attack on the hydroelectric dam, instead insisting that Ukrainian military strikes in the area are to blame.
Western leaders have also laid the blame for the damage at Russia's door. UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly was among the Western officials claiming that the Kremlin had potentially committed a war crime after the dam collapsed.
More than 2,700 people are known to have fled towns and villages which were consequently flooded after the dam was destroyed. However, the true scale of the impact of the incident is believed to be under-reported.
Drinking water supplies are under threat, with the Kakhovka dam and reservoir normally responsible for the supply of drinking water and irrigation for huge parts of southern Ukraine. The dam also supplies the Crimean Peninsula, which has been annexed by Russia since 2014.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that he has met with officials to discuss "urgent provision of drinking water and long-term solutions for settlements that were dependent on the reservoir", as well as eventually assessing the damage to property and the environment and reaching out to international aid organisations. He also hit out at Moscow for its slow response to the disaster in Russian-controlled areas.
Russia has said that it has evacuated 1,300 people in the region, however reports suggest that 40,000 people could be affected by the floods. Similar numbers have been reported by Ukraine, with 1,700 directly evacuated by authorities, with a possible 42,000 people affected in Ukrainian-controlled areas.
Residents in Kherson were seen clutching personal belongings as they fled the floodwaters, which in some areas were knee-deep. The Russian-controlled city of Nova Kakhovska was seen submerged in water in aerial footage, while some villagers in the village of Oleshky reported to be stranded by Russian news outlet Vyorstka.
While the cause of the collapse is currently unconfirmed, the Washington-based think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW), stated that Russia would have "a greater and clearer interest in flooding the lower Dnieper [Dnipro] despite the damage to their own prepared defensive positions". It added that the expected Ukrainian counter-offensive may have also added to possible reasons Moscow would target the dam, in order to divert attention and operation to the region.
However, it was also revealed that the dam itself was in a poor state of disrepair and was vulnerable to collapse before it was damaged. According to officials, it had not been producing power since November.