Ukraine’s president visits partially flooded Kherson

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, arrived in the Kherson region on Thursday to hold a meeting on the aftermath of Russia’s blowing up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station.

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In a statement, the Ukrainian leader’s office said the meeting focused "on the operational situation, evacuation of people from potential flood zones, emergency response, and organisation of life support for the flooded areas."

The officials also discussed the future of the region's ecosystem and the operational military situation in the disaster area, the statement added.

"It is important to calculate the damage and allocate funds to compensate residents affected by the disaster, and to develop a programme to compensate for losses or relocate businesses within the Kherson region," Ukraine’s president was quoted as saying.

He also visited the Dnipro river crossing used to evacuate people from flooded areas.

Russia blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant overnight on Tuesday, leading to the breach of the dam and unleashing floodwater across the downstream area.

Nearly 2,000 people have been evacuated so far from Ukrainian-controlled territory on the right bank of the Dnipro river, with more than 20 settlements submerged in water.