Alexei Chepa, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, said that Russia does not need the destruction of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station and that it is connected with the upcoming counteroffensive of Ukraine. He told Lente.ru about this.

“This is obviously an element related to the counteroffensive. I don't think we need it. It is categorically unprofitable for us,” the deputy said.

Speaking about the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station and the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, Chepa said that Russia "is doing everything to ensure that the infrastructure and such facilities are intact and work for civilians."

Earlier, the Ukrainian company Ukrhydroenergo reported that the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station was completely destroyed and cannot be restored. According to the Russian TASS news agency, half of the spans of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant (14 out of 28) have been destroyed, but further collapse continues.

Moscow and Kyiv mutually accuse each other of blowing up the hydroelectric power station. The European Union said they were shocked by what had happened. There is a threat of flooding of the nearest settlements and the city of Kherson.

Read more about what happened with the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station in the material of Gazeta.Ru.