Zelenskyy Says Russia Plans To Blow Up Ukrainian Dam, Calls On West To Prevent 'Large-Scale Disaster'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of plotting to blow up a dam in southern Ukraine. He said Russian troops are moving towards a large-scale disaster that would hit hundreds of thousands of people across 80 towns in the country. 

What Happened: In a recent television address, Zelenskyy said that Russian forces planted explosives inside the Nova Kakhovka dam and were planning to blow it up. 

"Now everyone in the world must act powerfully and quickly to prevent a new Russian terrorist attack. Destroying the dam would mean a large-scale disaster," Zelenskyy said in the address.

Zelenskyy has called on world leaders to look into this matter and tell Russia that this act would be treated "exactly the same as the use of weapons of mass destruction," with similar consequences.

According to the Russian state-owned TASS news agency, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke to eliminate misunderstandings. 

Also Read: US State Department Says Putin Will Be Held Accountable For War Crimes In Ukraine

The Geopolitical Backdrop: U.S. President Joe Biden has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of resorting to brutalizing Ukrainians amid his war in Kyiv.

"I think Vladimir Putin finds himself in an incredibly difficult position and what it reflects to me is it seems his only tool available to him is to brutalize individual citizens in Ukraine to try to intimidate them into capitulating," Biden said at the White House. 

Biden and Putin may cross paths during the G-20 summit in Indonesia next month, and the Biden administration is doing everything possible to avoid this scenario. 

Last week, Putin inspected a training ground for mobilized troops. In addition, Putin has raised Moscow's war footing and has declared martial law in four illegally annexed regions of Ukraine.

Photo: President Of Ukraine on flickr.