Latest news on Russia and the war in Ukraine
Leontiev initially said there was no damage to the dam but later said the damage had been caused by "night attacks" by Ukraine, without presenting evidence, and said artillery attacks continue on the city. Ukraine says Russia attacked the dam.
Kommersant newspaper reported that Vladimir Leontiev, the Russian-installed mayor of Nova Kakhovka where the dam is located in a Russian-occupied part of Kherson in southern Ukraine, had initiated the evacuation of residents of houses flooded due to major damage to the dam.
Kommersant cited Leontiev as saying that the evacuation of residents of about 300 houses on the banks of the Dnipro River in Nova Kakhovka had begun.
"Now we are resettling citizens who are directly on the shore. The city continues to be subjected to rocket attacks right now. I think that the residents of about 300 houses will be evacuated and are already being evacuated in order to avoid casualties," he said on the Rossiya-24 TV channel.
Leontiev clarified that initially no one planned to carry out a large-scale evacuation, but in the end it was decided that people should be taken to "safe places" after the scale of the incident became clear.
The official believed that the evacuation of the entire city was not necessary and was quoted as saying: "According to forecasts, within 72 hours the water will fall to the usual level. But we need to survive these 72 hours."
Leontiev said a decision may be made in the near future to evacuate residents and other settlements of the Russian-controlled part of the Kherson region, but "everything here will depend on the current situation and the situation, no one gives any forecasts."
— Holly Ellyatt
Source: CNBC
