According to the Ukrainian government, more than 8 million Ukrainians have left the country since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, with around 6 million currently in EU member states and approximately 800,000 in the United States.

The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam aligns with tactics employed by Russian forces in various contexts before. This strategy involves the complete destruction of territories in active combat to gain a military advantage and instil fear in opponents.

Understanding Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine as part of an imperial war begun in 2014 has become increasingly commonplace in Euro-Atlantic foreign policy-making circles and amongst a wider group of countries concerned with ending the war.

The quest to apportion blame for initiating the destruction of the dam has captured the headlines concealing the inadequate response to the humanitarian and ecological disaster that is unfolding.

No nation can single-handedly cover all of Ukraine’s reconstruction needs, and nor should it be expected to, considering the existence of frozen Russian assets worth billions worldwide. These funds will serve as the primary source for Ukraine’s recovery.

A strategically defeated Russia will only gain partial relief from sanctions and political isolation associated with its aggression. Full relief can only come with accountability for their war crimes.

On June 6, the Russian armed forces blew up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant dam in Ukraine, leading to the flooding of territories downstream of the Dnipro and putting the lives of more than 16,000 people at risk.

The Russian army’s blow-up of the Kakhovka dam, a strategically important facility providing water to southern Ukraine, Crimea, and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, shocked Ukraine and the world.