Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, commenting on Russian strikes on a dam in Krivoy Rog, called the Russian army weaklings, howling with civilians, and terrorists. A transcript of his speech is given by Meduza:
“Today, your missile strikes, Russian missiles on Krivoy Rog, on the dam of the Karachunovsky reservoir, on objects that have no military value at all, in fact on hundreds of thousands of ordinary civilians, this is another reason why Russia will lose. He will lose not only this war, but history itself. History is written by people, non-humans – never. Who will you remain in history? All those who hit with these missiles. Those who came to our land. Weaklings. You are weaklings who fight civilians. Scoundrels who, having escaped from the battlefield, are trying to do harm from somewhere far away. You will remain terrorists who will be ashamed of their own grandchildren.
Events show that the only way out for Russian soldiers is to surrender to Ukrainian forces. Only this guarantees them the preservation of life and attitude in accordance with all conventions. Every Russian soldier should have understood by now that only in Ukrainian captivity will no one use him as cannon fodder in a war obviously losing for Russia.”
The day before, the Russian military fired 8 cruise missiles at Krivoy Rog, Dnepropetrovsk region of Ukraine. As a result of the shelling, the dam was damaged, due to which the Ingulets River overflowed its banks and flooded the coastal areas. According to various sources, the water level rose from two to six meters. The river demolished bridges along its course.
Sources of The Insider claim that the shelling was carried out by X-101 missiles, and the target of the strike could be the largest thermal power plant in the region, Kryvyi Rih.
According to military expert and Colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in reserve Oleg Zhdanov, the shelling of Krivoy Rog is Vladimir Putin's revenge for the successes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kharkiv direction.