Death toll in Kakhovka dam collapse increases to 45; Ukraine recaptures another village

A Russia-installed official, on Sunday (June 18) acknowledged that Ukrainian forces have recaptured Piatykhatky village in the southern Zapororizhzhia region, in what might be the secondreported gains in the region since Kyiv began its counteroffensive, earlier this month. Meanwhile, both Ukrainian and Russian officials have reported a rise in the death toll after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam.

Death toll due to Kakhovka dam breach rises

The death toll from the floods due to the destruction of the Kakhovka dam rose to 16 in Ukraine, said the officials in Kyiv. Meanwhile, a Russia-installed official in the Moscow-occupied parts of the Kherson region, Andrei Alekseyenko, took to Telegram and said at least 29 people have lost their lives due to the flood, as of late Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian interior ministry, in a statement also said that more than 3,600 people have been evacuated from the flooded areas in the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions and some 31 were still missing. Additionally, as of late Saturday, at least 1,300 were flooded, said the Ukrainian officials.

The destruction of the Soviet-era dam on the Dnipro River has prompted the evacuation of thousands of people after it unleashed a flood in several parts of southern Ukraine and in Russia-occupied parts of Ukraine.

While, both Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of destroying the dam, a team of international legal experts who are helping prosecutors in Kyiv with the investigation, in their preliminary findings on Friday said it was “highly likely” that the collapse of the Soviet-era dam was caused by explosives planted by Russians.

Ukrainian forces reportedly take over another village

In what might be the second gainfor the Ukrainian forces along the southern Zaporizhzhia region front, a Russian-installed official Vladimir Rogov reported that Kyiv has taken over the settlement of Piatykhatky. Rogov took to Telegram and said Ukrainian forces have entrenched themselves there while coming under fire from Russian troops.

“The enemy’s ‘wave-like’ offensives yielded results, despite enormous losses,” said the Russian official, adding that heavy fighting continues in the area. The claim was not immediately confirmed by Kyiv. This also comes days afterUkraine said it regainedcontrol ofLobkove, a village adjacent to Piatykhatky in Zaporizhzhia region.

Meanwhile, the Russian defence ministry, in a statement on Sunday saidits forces had repelled a series of Ukrainian attacks across three sections of the front line with "most active actions" inZaporizhzhia direction while also mentioningattempts to attack in theSouth-Donetsk and Donetsk directions. However, the ministry did not confirm the Russian-installed official's claim.

Ukraine claims to have destroyed ‘significant’ ammunition depot in Kherson

A spokesperson for the Odesa military administration, Serhiy Bratchuk, on Sunday, claimed that Ukrainian forces have destroyed a “significant” ammunition depot near the Russian-occupied port city of Henichesk in Kherson.

In a video message, Bratchuk, said, “Our armed forces dealt a good blow in the morning - and a very loud one - in the village of Rykove, Henichesk district, in the temporarily occupied territory of the Kherson region.” He added, “There was a very significant ammunition depot. It was destroyed.”

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE