UN complains Russia blocks aid workers from area of Ukraine dam collapse

The Kremlins spokesman said Monday that UN aid workers who want to visit areas ravaged by the recent Kakhovka dam collapse in southern Ukraine cant go there because fighting in the war makes it unsafeThe United Nations rebuked Moscow on Sunday for allegedly denying aid workers access to Russianoccupied areas where residents are stranded amid devastating destructionThe UN humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine Denise Brown said in a statement that her staff were engaging with both Kyiv and Moscow which control different parts of the area in a bid to reach civilians in need They face a shortage of drinking water and food and a lack of power Brown urged Russian authorities iquestto act in accordance with their obligations under international humanitarian lawiquest and let them inKremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov didnt explicitly admit that Russia had blocked UN access but told a conference call with reporters that Ukrainian attacks made a visit too riskyThere has been constant shelling constant provocations civilian facilities and the civilian population have come under fire people have died so its really difficult to ensure their security Peskov said His comments came amid varying accounts by survivors of the quality of assistance that Russia is providing in areas it controls The dam lies on the Dnieper River which forms the front line between Russian and Ukrainian forces on the eastern and western banks respectivelyMany evacuees and residents accuse Russian authorities of doing little or nothing to help Some civilians said that evacuees were sometimes forced to present Russian passports if they wanted to leaveOn the Ukrainian side rescuers are braving Russian snipers as they rush to ferry Ukrainians out of Russiaoccupied flood zones Ukraines Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko said Monday that the death toll resulting from the dam collapse had risen to 1814 from drowning and four from gunshot wounds sustained during evacuation A further 31 people were missing he saidUkraines presidential office said Monday that the Kherson region affected by the flooding had endured 35 Russian attacks over the previous 24 hours Exclusive drone photos and information obtained by The Associated Press indicate that Moscow had the means motive and opportunity to blow up the dam which was under Russian control earlier this monthThe explosion occurred as Ukraine mustered for a counteroffensive Kyivs forces have intensified attacks along the 1000kilometre 600mile front line recentlySome analysts saw the dam breach as a Russian effort to thwart Ukraines counteroffensive in the Kherson regionThe UK Defence Ministry said Monday that Russia had recently redeployed several thousand troops from the banks of the Dnieper to buttress its positions in the Zaporizhzhia and Bakhmut sectors which reportedly have seen heavy fightingThe move likely reflects Russias perception that a major Ukrainian attack across the Dnieper is now less likely following the dams collapse the ministry said in a tweet Ukrainian forces have advanced up to 7 kilometres into territory previously held by Russia she said Russias Defence Ministry didnt confirm losing any ground to the Ukrainian forcesIt wasnt possible to independently verify battlefield claims by either side Russia is also pursuing offensive actions according to Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna MaliarRussia has concentrated a significant number of its military units and particularly airborne assault troops in Ukraines east she said They are stepping up Moscows offensive around Kupiansk in Ukraines northeastern Kharkiv province and Lyman in the eastern Donetsk province Maliar said on TelegramUkrainian forces may have put their counteroffensive operations on hold as they review their tactics according to the Institute for the Study of War a Washingtonbased think tank It noted that Kyiv has not yet committed the majority of its available forces to counteroffensive operations and has not yet launched its main effortRussia attacked south and southeast Ukraine overnight with cruise missiles and selfexploding drones Ukraines air force reported Monday Four Kalibr missiles and four Iranianmade Shahed drones were shot down it said According to regional officials the southern province of Odesa and the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region were targeted by the attack No casualties or damage were immediately reportedThree civilians were wounded by artillery fire in the Beryslav district of the Kherson province Monday local officials said A 64yearold woman was in critical condition according to their Telegram post At least five residential buildings two private residences and an administrative building sustained damageOfficials in Russias southern Belgorod region which borders Ukraine said Monday morning that seven people including a child were wounded in Ukrainian drone attacks over the previous 24 hours