Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmitry Kuleba has vehemently dismissed Türkiye’s proposal for an international investigation into the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam, calling the initiative a “game to indulge the Russians.”
This comes after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held phone conversations with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts on Wednesday, offering to organize an international commission to investigate the attack on the dam, which would include experts from all three countries, as well as the UN.
Speaking on the Ukrainian 1+1 news channel, Kuleba stated that was sick and tired of the UN and others who were proposing to investigate the explosion and accused them of playing a “game of quasi-justice.”
“It’s absolutely clear who’s who,” Kuleba said, dismissing any suggestions that Ukraine could have been responsible for blowing anything up. “Take it easy, gentlemen,” he said. “We've already been there. It's all just a game to indulge the Russians.”
Later in the interview, the minister admitted that some sort of investigation into the dam’s destruction would take place eventually, but that it would not be anytime soon.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has also blasted the UN and the Red cross for failing to act amid the flooding caused by the dam’s destruction.
The Kakhovka dam was partially ruptured on Tuesday morning, causing flooding in multiple towns and villages along the path of the Dnieper River.
Moscow has insisted that the “deliberate sabotage” of the dam was ordered by Kiev to cut off the water supply to Russia's Crimean peninsula. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has also suggested that the attack might be linked to Ukraine's attempts at launching a large-scale counteroffensive.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has labeled the incident a “barbaric act” that has led to a “massive ecological and humanitarian catastrophe” and accused Ukraine of “committing war crimes” and “openly using terrorist methods.” He also warned Kiev and its Western backers against gambling on a path of dangerous escalation.