Poland unconditionally condems blowing up of Nova Kakhovka dam by Russia

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement issued on Tuesday (June 6) that it "unconditionally condemns the blowing up of the dam spanning the Dnipro river in Nova Kakhovka - yet another outrageous act of Russian barbarity on Ukraine’s occupied territories, a grave violation of basic norms of humanitarian and environmental protection law, and an apparent war crime".

"This act poses a direct threat to the lives of civilians living along the Dnipro banks downstream from the dam and to the operation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, as well as bringing the prospect of an environmental disaster with unprecedented consequences on a regional scale, which will reverberate across Europe. The attack intensifies material losses and will result in further forced displacements of the local population," the MFA added.

"Poland will make every effort to hold Russia accountable before the international community and to punish the perpetrators of this criminal act, and will insist on it through relevant international institutional and legal mechanisms, including humanitarian and environmental ones."

The ministry also stressed that "it is necessary to impose further severe sanctions on the Russian Federation".

The 15-member U.N. Security Council met on Tuesday at the request of both Russia and Ukraine after a torrent of water burst through a massive dam on the Dnipro River that separates the opposing forces in southern Ukraine.

Poland's Ambassador the UN Krzysztof Szczerski pointed out that the consequences of the ongoing war — including its humanitarian emergency and environmental disasters — affect his country as a witness to the suffering of the Ukrainian people and a hub of international humanitarian assistance. 

Szczerski condemned the dam’s destruction, calling it "yet another outrageous act of Russian barbarity," a grave violation of basic norms of humanitarian and environmental protection law as well as an apparent war crime. 

“It is a clear violation of all our efforts to highlight the importance of the climate and security nexus, nuclear safety, civilian protection in armed conflicts including children and women and the protection of critical infrastructure,” he underscored.

Poland's envoy also pledged to "undertake every effort to hold the Russian Federation accountable before the international community and punish the perpetrators of this criminal act".