A tender and successful moment with cheers from those watching!
NEWS AND VIEWS – UKRAINE: This is a short video of the animal rescue aspect of the Ukraine dam flooding disaster which, it is now been decided, was caused by an act of Russian terrorism; a blast which destroyed enough of the dam to cause it to collapse. Ironically, it is flooding areas occupied by the Russians and it is negatively impacting freshwater supplies to Crimea which is also occupied by Russians.
The reason for the destruction of this dam are somewhat unclear but we know that it has flooded the Kazkova Dibrova Zoo in Russian occupied Kherson causing upwards of 300 animal deaths. Volunteers had offered their help to rescue the animals but they couldn’t do so because the area was mined by the Russians. The Russians blocked their help before the floods took hold. Sad to say this is another example of Russian wanton destruction of animals.
My personal view is that because the Kremlin has realised that they can’t win the war they are now hellbent on destroying Ukraine to neutralise it so that in the mind of Putin Ukraine no longer presents a risk to Russia’s security. This is crazy thinking because Ukraine was never a risk to Russia but now, they are because they going to join NATO after the war is over.
Before the war they applied to join NATO but it was a 10-year process. Russia was safer before the war then during and after it. A grave error of judgement on behalf of Vladimir Putin.
The scale of the floods caused by the destruction of this dam in southern Ukraine are becoming clear. The water has flooded 75 km southwest to the city of Kherson. The Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellite images provide us with information about the extent of the flooding.
Recent analysis has provided, as I understand it, clear information that the dam was blown up and that this was not some sort of accident or defect.
In addition to the vast areas of flooding, the dam’s destruction has heightened concerns about the state of the nuclear power station at Zaporizhzia which is about 130 km upstream.
Ukraine’s president, Vladimir Zelensky, has tweeted his despair at the destruction and the loss of lives of hundreds perhaps thousands of animals. He said:
While the Russian evil is terrorizing and destroying all living things, we are doing and will continue to do everything to save every living creature! Thousands and thousands of animals are trapped in the flood after the destruction of the dam and other structures of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant by Russia. We remember that humanity means taking care not just of each other, but of all living beings. We, Ukrainians, save and protect lives. Thank you to everyone who helps!
Videos and photographs are emerging of the rescue of these animals as they were trapped in homes or on small areas of high ground. The video on this page is one such rescue. Thank God that domestic cats are good swimmers.
It is very distressing and depressing to see this kind of wanton destruction. It will take many billions of US dollars to rebuild Ukraine. Who’s going to pay for it? Russia? They should be forced to pay for it with further sanctions and further international pressure after the war. The burden of rebuilding should not be taken up by the West entirely.
A major animal rescuer is UAnimals (Ukraine Animals) an animal rights charity operating from the capital Kyiv.
