Ukraine wants Russia to pay for blowing up Nova Kakhovka dam
The communities affected by the breach of the Nova Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine need to document their losses so that Kyiv could demand that Russia compensate, deputy prime minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said.
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On Tuesday, the Ukrainian government recommended that the Kherson regional and city military administrations start assessing the consequences of the dam’s collapse, caused by Russia.
“We have two goals here. The first is to ensure that people affected by the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station can receive financial assistance to restore their homes. The second goal is to force Russia to pay reparations for the damage in the future,” Mr Kubrakov was quoted as saying.
He added that inspections that will establish the scale of damage in the region need to begin after the rescue and demining operations. All the information regarding losses should be provided to a dedicated register documenting the consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
Last month, the law on “compensation for damage and destruction of real estate as a result of hostilities” came into force in Ukraine, which sets out who and how can claim compensation for destroyed and damaged housing.
Following the Nova Kakhovka dam’s collapse, 31 water supply and sewage facilities have been damaged and 28 large industrial facilities have been flooded, and more than 3,500 houses in 48 settlements are still submerged in water, according to official data.
The direct damage to Ukraine’s infrastructure caused by the full-scale war already amounts to USD 130 to 140 billion, Mr Kubrakov earlier said, with the total losses running to more than USD 300 billion.