Ukraine war: flood risk in Zelensky’s hometown after Russian missile strike damages water system
- The city of Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine was hit by eight Russian cruise missiles
- Ukrainian official said strikes were ‘revenge’ for Ukraine’s recent battlefield wins
Ukraine warned that floods could hit the city of Kryvyi Rih – President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown – after a Russian cruise missile strike damaged infrastructure, causing a major river to flood.
Kryvyi Rih, the largest city in central Ukraine with an estimated pre-war population of 650,000, was targeted by eight cruise missiles on Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said.
Hydrotechnical facilities were severely damaged and there were reports of rapidly rising water levels on the Inhulets River, which is dammed by the city.
“The water pumping station was destroyed. The river broke through the dam and overflowed its banks. Residential buildings are just a few metres away from the river,” Ukrainian legislator Inna Sovsun said on Twitter.
Video posted online showed elevated water levels on the river and flooded city streets, and evacuations of residents were suggested.
A Ukrainian official pegged Wednesday’s attack as “revenge” for Ukraine’s ongoing counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region, while Zelensky called it an “attempt to flood” the city, with no casualties.