Lukashenko blames Kiev for blowing up Kakhovka plant
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko accused Ukraine on Thursday of blowing up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Station to divert attention from the losses incurred during their counter-offensive.
"It's clear that the Ukrainian side had to obscure three days of 'counterattack,' where almost two hundred armored vehicles were destroyed, and more than 2,000 people died," Lukashenko said during a CSTO meeting. The president also highlighted the United States' cautious position, according to Ria Novosti. "I have to give them credit. They immediately said, 'We can't say yet who did it. We have to figure it out'," he was cited as saying.
Russia claims that Ukrainian troops attacked the power plant on June 6, leading to significant damage and unregulated water discharge, prompting the evacuation of thousands of Kherson residents. Explaining Kiev's motive, the Kremlin suggested that the objective of the station's destruction was to deprive Crimea of water.